The Legacy of the Blind Bandit
by JohnnyG33
Summary: (First in a series of five) Three years after the war, Toph, Katara, Aang, Sokka and Zuko reunite to stop a Rebel Fire Nation General from restarting the war. An old flame will ignite, but when a new threat rises from the old, nothing will ever be the same.
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. No profit is being made from this or any of my stories.**

* * *

**This is the first out of five stories in a series. There will be two other series that are all tied together. There are two planned stories for series 2, and three planned for series 3. **

**The first two chapters begin as a AU from S3 ep. 7 "The Runaway" up till and a little after Sozin's Comet. The rest of the story will take place 3 years after the war ended. **

**This story is rated T for violence, brief language, and some dark themes.**

* * *

**The Legacy of the Blind Bandit**

**Chapter 1**

"There she is! After her!"

Toph heard a sharp female voice barking orders as she turned into an ally way. Her earthbending leading the way, she easily traversed through the narrow back streets of the Fire Nation village. Her sharp ears picked up the gasps from local bystanders as she burst through a display of fruit, her only obstacle leading her back on the main street.

"Stop her! Don't let the Runaway escape!" The same feminine voice exclaimed from the ally way Toph just dashed through.

She smiled proudly at the nickname bestowed upon her by the irate, double-dealing, and now broke scammers she swindled. She and her two minions managed to scam a ton of money from every major cheat in the city. After her last scam, she thought her days of running wild and rampant over the village were done, but she was surprised and excited on Katara's willingness to try a scam with her. Not just any scam, the ultimate scam. Toph grinned to herself as she ran through a group of oblivious locals.

_This wanted poster says your worth a lot of money;_ _ten times more than you've made in all of your scams. So I'm gonna turn you in and collect the reward. Then you metalbend yourself out of jail, and we're on our way._ Katara's excited voiced echoed through her head as she felt herself coming up to the center of the village. She didn't know that the rule abiding, motherly Katara had this adventurous side to her. Toph loved it.

As she ran closer to the large fountain the center of the city, she felt the guards getting closer, readying what felt like a net. Toph also felt Katara standing behind the fountain. Turning to face her pressures, she was greeted by a net being encased around her. The force of the impact sent her falling to the ground. As she hit the ground, Katara came walking out from behind the fountain, just as they planned.

"How could you do this to me! You betrayed me!" Toph yelled at Katara, who was now facing Toph with her arms crossed.

"You brought this upon yourself. I had no choice." Katara turned her back to Toph as she was dragged away by the guards. As Toph felt the distance between her and Katara grow, she felt a chubby man walk up to Katara.

_Hook, line, and sucker. _Toph's face showcased a sly smile. Sugar Queen had really out done herself this time. In less than thirty minutes, she would be back with her friends, literally rolling in money. Her excitement and mind still racing with the success of her best scam to date, she failed to notice an individual watching her being dragged away, a greedy smile spreading across his face.

* * *

"You did the right thing turning in the Runaway," the chubby guard captain said as he approached Katara, a weary smile stretched across his slightly red face. Katara smiled, keeping her act up and rolling.

"The right thing is its own reward," she said, closing her eyes, a humble smile spread across her face.

"Well, I'm happy to hear you say that," the guard stated, resting one of his hands on his hip. Katara suddenly snapped her eyes open, realizing what she had just said. Silently cursing herself that all of this could be have been done in vain, and fearing the ensuing dissatisfaction from Toph, she quickly recollected herself.

"But, I still want the actual reward," she quickly added, hoping that she would still receive the money. She felt slightly uncomfortable talking to this man in the middle of a Fire Nation village, with almost half of it watching them.

"Of course. Right this way." He motioned with his arms to follow him.

She began to walk towards the man, when a sharp commanding voice made the captain stop abruptly and turn. Katara turned as well, and to her horror she saw a man wearing an expensive looking red tunic with gold thread running down the arm sleeves walking towards them. A large black and gold dragon symbol was patched on both of his shoulders. His face was almost as pale as Toph's, and was covered with a small beard that encircled his mouth down to his chest. His posture was one of power, or arrogance. Katara figured that was both, but that was not her main concern. Four armored Firebenders flanked him, two on each side with their ceremonial bright red armor shining in the sunlight. Katara quickly concluded that he must be an important military or political figure in the Fire Nation, but what frightened her was that he was staring intently at her.

Katara felt herself begin to slightly sweat as he drew near. She glanced to her left and right, looking for a potential escape route if one was needed. She had the fountain in the center as a water source, but that would give away her identity as a Waterbender, and raise even more suspension. So at least for now, she opted for her only option: Playing the good little Fire Nation citizen she looked like.

"General Mao. What do we own this pleasure?" The guard captain says, bowing before the man. Katara quickly followed suit, her nerves on edge fearing that she would either be hauled away with Toph, or worse.

"Who is this?" He gestured towards Katara. His deep voice came out much softer than expected. Katara kept her guard up and observed the man, trying to read his face. If he knew anything, he was hiding it well. His eyes started down at her with intensely, as if trying to read her identity. They also bore the cold stare of a merciless man. Katara had seen that look before, before the Fire Nation took her mother from her.

"This young lady just assisted us with the capture of The Runaway, a local criminal who has been scamming the hard working people of this village for days now," the captain explained with a proud look on his face. Katara smiles shyly, bowing slightly toward the general.

"My name is Sapphire. It is an honor to meet you, general," she introduced herself, doing her best to keep a straight face. She hated being polite and proper to these... monsters. But in her current situation, she saw no other choice.

Mao turned his head, nodding to one of his soldiers while exposing his jet black hair hanging loosely to his shoulder blades. Katara slightly cringed. She never understood why men in the Fire Nation insisted on having their hair as well as facial hair grow so unnaturally long. Her eyes focused on the soldier coming forth, a small chest in his hand. Katara's anxiety completely evaporated when she saw him open it and the contents inside the chest: Layers of small, gold planks. Royal Fire Nation money!

"As I recall, the reward was 100 gold for the Runaway. But seeing as whom you really captured, I see that 1000 gold is a more suitable reward," the General explained in an even tone, his eyes showing a hue of excitement. Katara stood agape, looking at the gold pieces. She had never seen so much money before. Her first thought was to take the money, no questions asked and leave as quickly as possible. But what Mao had said about who she really helped capture made her uneasy. As Katara reached for the chest, the captain standing to her right stepped forward.

"Excuses me sir, but why the extra 900 for a petty criminal?" he asked. Katara was wondering the same thing, but her mind was telling her to scram, and fast. She just wanted to get out of the city, and back to her friends.

Mao smiled deviously, making Katara slightly gulp. He was hiding something under all that hair on his face.

"Because captain, this was no ordinary criminal you picked up," He chuckled. "While you know her as the Runaway, her real name is Toph Bei Fong." Katara's heart did a double beat, making her nearly drop the chest she held in her arms. She felt herself begin to sweat again, and her mind was screaming to run and find Toph.

But she had no idea where they kept her. She did not know these streets like Toph, her brother, or Aang. This couldn't happen. They had spent days in the Fire Nation, and nobody seemed to know who she was. All of her self-control was put forth to stop her from freezing all of them in place, and go find Toph.

"The only daughter of the prestigious Bei Fong family?" the captain asked, surprise masking his voice. Mao noded his head, and look towards Katara. Her breath caught in her throat as she felt his eyes connect with hers.

"Sapphire, you have done a great service to the Fire Nation. Not only did you catch a criminal today, you captured the Avatar's Earthbending instructor. An extremely powerful Earthbender, who has a very influential family in the Earth Kingdom," Mao proclaimed with sincerity, bowing to Katara. She does everything in her power to smile with a straight face and keep her trembling arms from dropping the chest.

This was bad, really bad. She felt so many emotions gushing through her, she thought she would explode in rage at any moment. She had to get out of here before she froze a chunk of ice over his head.

"It is an honor to be of help. Now, I must be getting off to my family." She said as she began to back away from them.

"Of course. Remember, Fire Lord Ozai takes good care of those who help our country. I will be sure to tell him of your service," Mao concluded to Katara as she turned her back to him. She didn't bother to acknowledge him. She felt sick to her stomach, eyes beginning to sting as she picked up speed around the corner, and when she knew she was out of their sight, she took off in a sprint.

_Toph! He knows who Toph is! By the Moon, this is all my fault. I have to get Aang and Sokka! We have to find her. Oh spirits no!_ Her mind raced as she threw the chest full of money in the manmade canal as she ran past some factories, racing towards the woods and back to their camp.

* * *

Toph grunted as she was lead over the doorway bump. She felt herself being dragged on a smooth floor and hear the rattling of chains. She was in the prison. Now it was just a matter of cutting out of the jail and getting the heck out of dodge. A stale smell of bread caught her nose as she passed what sounded like an empty cage. She hoped it was empty anyways.

After a bit more of being dragged on the floor, she was thrown from the net and landed on a smooth surface while she heard the door simultaneously close and the *click* of a lock. Toph sat up on her hands and moved her left hand across the floor in order to get her baring's, but she couldn't see or feel anything except the cold, smooth floor she was lying on. She couldn't see, as far as seeing goes for her and Toph knew immediately that something was wrong.

She crawled towards the door of the cage and stared blindly out of it. "Hey! What kind of cage is this?" she called out to the guard who had just thrown her in. She heard a few steps walking back towards her, and the sound of someone crouching down, eye level to her.

"A wooden one."

The word "wooden" struck Toph like a knee to the gut. Her face gave way to her worries as the realization finally sunk in. She could not metalbend! Not only that, she was completely away from her element, and unable to see, much less escape.

She heard the guard smirk; seeing Toph's reaction must have satisfied her for she heard the female guard leave. Toph reached out of the cage, fanatically taping the surrounding floor for any metal, dirt, something she could bend.

Nothing. Nothing but the cold, foreboding darkness that she always lived with, but never succumbed to.

Toph all of a sudden felt extremely small as she brought her arm back in. She heard a couple of coughs, and some poor soul moaning for water down the hallway. Was that how she was going to be? Starved, deprived of food and water until her sentence was to be determined? She felt her eyes begin to water up. She violently shook her head, throwing the foolish thoughts and tears out of mind.

_I'm the Blind Bandit for earth's sake! I am the greatest Earthbender in the world. No prison can hold me! I'm just over reacting. You've been in much worse situations than this. _Toph thought to herself as she let out a frustrating sigh. Katara, Aang and Sokka have been captured plenty of times. Toph thinks over the stories they told her about their adventures before she joined their crew. Some of the conditions they had found themselves in before were much more troublesome than this. Toph's face brightened a little as she felt her frustration slowly deteriorate.

Toph scotches up against the wall of her cage and sits back against it. _Okay, relax Toph. Think. There has to be a way out of this, and if nothing else, they will come and get ya out. _She will tell herself as she reached for her bracelet made of space rock that Sokka gave her. All she felt was her own flesh. Toph cursed herself for not bringing it, for she could have turned it into something that could cut her out of this, or a key to unlock the door. She mentally slapped herself in the head as she hunched over, resting her head in the palm of her hand, elbow propped up on her knee for support. Toph could feel her frustration bubbling inside her as she blew the bangs that dangled loosely in front of her. The one thing she hated more than people helping her because they thought she was helpless was the feeling of actually being helpless.

Toph would have none of it. She refused to let herself think of herself vulnerable. She let her mind wander back to her only salvation, a foreboding feeling overcoming her. She did not want Twinkletoes to be discovered while trying to get her out of this. The invasion depended on it. She growled, leaning back against the wall with her hands behind her head.

_Maybe Katara will show up! She would probably realize something is wrong, and she is coming to get me now!_ Toph straightened up, a smile crossing her face. That made her slightly better, but she still wished she had her space bracelet. She'd be out of here in no time with that. Yet the guards may have taken it away from her, thinking she stole that from someone.

Toph sighed and positioned herself in her previous posture, resting her head on her hand. She remembered when Sokka gave her that bracelet. No one had ever given her a gift as cool or as meaningful as that. Sense her birthday was 3 months ago (she completely forgot about it until Sokka was gone training) she liked to think that Sokka gave it to her as a late gift. Granted, Sokka didn't know it was her birthday, but she liked to think that regardless. She smiled to herself at the memory of feeling the unique texture of the space rock as she molded it into anything she wanted. She felt her face turn a little bit warmer than normal at the thought of Sokka's hand resting on hers as he gave her the space rock.

"I am looking for the Runaway."

Toph was ripped from her daydream by a sharp, commanding voice coming from upstairs, what Toph gathered was the entrance to the jail. She did not move from her spot, but she felt her anxiety rise slightly. Not willing to seem like a defenseless child, she kept her emotionless, almost bored facial expression as she heard footsteps coming down the hall toward her cell. She heard a small gasp as the footsteps halted.

"So, this is the great Toph Bei Fong." Toph's head snapped up to the origin of that sentence, disbelief written all over her face. Whoever it was, it came from the same bossy person who demanded where the Runaway was. Toph felt extremely unnerved hearing someone in the Fire Nation call her by her name. Even worse, she couldn't "see" who this creep was.

"Sorry Boss, you got the wrong girl." Toph maintained her outer calm, resting her head against her hands as she leaned against the wall. She heard a few muffled chuckles and a pair of shoes walk up to the edge of her cage. She assumed this was "Boss," as she decided to call him.

"The whole army knows who you are. What do you expect from the Avatar's Earthbending teacher," the man said, his triumphant voice echoing around Toph's cell.

Toph kept her face, but she was now starting to get scared. This guy knew who she really was, despite her Fire Nation disguise, and that she traveled with the Avatar. This was no ordinary town guard she was dealing with. This guy knew much more than he was letting on. Did he know that Twinkles was still kicking?

"By the way, how did you take your pupil's death? You feeling okay, little girl?" The taunting voice seeped through the cage like spilled ink. Scratch that, he is not only as clueless as the rest of the Fire Nation, he is deader than any Firebender on the planet.

Toph began to fume over hearing the man call her a little girl. Nobody underestimated her and managed to walk away in one piece. Toph stood up and pointed a threatening finger at where she assumed Boss was. She intended to show him just how "little" she was.

"Let me out of here, and I will show you exactly how I'm feeling," she snarled at him. Toph heard a chuckle escape Boss's mouth, and she gritted her teeth.

"Uh, no. As much as I'd love too, I cannot do that. You are far too valuable to the Fire Nation and me dead," he said to Toph as a loud click came from his direction. Toph's sightless eyes flashed open as she heard the door open. Her heart started thumping in her head as she felt a sense of fear rush over her and she quickly stood up.

"What are you doing?" she asked, trying to keep her voice even as she heard boots come rushing into the room.

Not waiting for a response, Toph made the bold decision to charge towards the exit, hoping to crash through the soldiers and escape this developing nightmare. Instead of bursting through the exit, she was met by powerful arms that grabbed at her. For a moment, a wave of pure panic quickly engulfed all her other emotions and took control of her body.

Kicking and now screaming to be let go, Toph's mind began to race frantically as she reached out for something, anything to help her escape.

"Secure her and bring her to the air ship. We are going to the Capital." Boss's commanding voice rose over her struggling. Toph felt the hands attempting to pin her arms behind her back while holding her in place.

Still frantically kicking and throwing her arms in every direction, she felt her hand make contact with metal. The metal was attached to a man, completely covered in it from head to toe. The panic transformed into anger and determination. The Blind Bandit never goes down without a fight!

Taking her hand that grazed the firebender, she clenched the fist and as hard as she could sent it sailing into the same direction. There was a loud crunch and a muffled cry of pain, soon followed by a loud clunk as Toph heard the man fall onto the cell floor. She hit him square in the chest. And boy did she deliver. Toph did not know it, but she had left a large dent in the armor, causing some of it to implode into itself. Before Toph could fling her now free arm in another direction, she felt another pair of hands replace where the old ones once were. Toph heard another clanking noise and frantic, un-muffled breathing coming from below her.

"Argh! I…I can't breathe. Get this… this off me!" Toph heard a frantic man cry as he struggled to breath. Toph felt herself being lifted up by four or five pairs of hands. She quickly twisted her body sideways to the left, and felt her hand grasp metal. Without even thinking, her hand clamped down on the metal, crushing it, which was followed by an ear-piercing shriek from a so-called soldier.

"Owwww! Get her off! Get her off! She is crushing my arm!" This only made Toph grip it harder, the sound of crunching metal and screaming filling the room.

"You little brat!" A hand quickly let go of her right leg, but before she could swing it free, she felt that same hand crash against her gut. Toph felt all the arms simultaneously let go of her. Either they were surprised that a man hit a small, blind girl or they were all going to join in as a result of injuring two of their comrades.

This only partially registered with Toph, as the blow to her chest expelled all the oxygen out of her system. She felt her eyes begin to slightly water as she slammed onto the ground, the back of her head scoring a welt. Toph tried to gather her breath and quickly get up, but the force of the blow had knocked the wind out of her, slowing her significantly. Before she could react, the arms seized her again and they found it much easier to manipulate Toph's now partially limp and stunned body.

"Be careful! I need her alive and relatively unharmed." Boss's annoyed voice came much clearer through the room.

Toph was desperately trying to fight off the hands holding her down and stand up, but she wasn't recovered from the cheap shot to her gut. Not to mention her head was ringing from banging against the floor. The situation only deteriorated for Toph as she was rolled over on her stomach, and her arms were pinned behind her back.

"Get off of me you wimps!" Her voice only came out merely as a whisper, her lungs desperately trying to recover from the sudden loss of oxygen.

The men did not seem to notice. But Toph defiantly noticed the rope being looped around her arms, pining them together. Panic came flooding back through Toph, mixing in with her radiating determination and anger. This of course would have spelled doom to anyone within 100 yards of Toph. But here, Toph resorted to what she saw was her last chance.

_Maybe Twinkles and Meathead are already here! Or close by. _Toph's mind was going through multiple ideas, many crazy, desperate plans that could possibly lead to her escape. None of them seemed likely to work, so she went with her one and only option.

Sucking in as much breath as her lungs could hold, Toph threw her upper body up, smashing one of the soldier's helmets with the back of her head, denting that just like the others. She shook off the other two men holding her and started loosening her hands.

"I'm in here! Help! Sokka! Kat-" Toph was unable to finish, for what felt like a rag silenced her, only adding to her frustration and desperation.

Despite that she continued to scream and shake her head and body violently, to no avail. She felt her legs being bound together, and her hands were already stuck. She still kept thrashing around, but her focus was to free the ropes, which began to dig into her flesh every time she moved around. She could still hear the two soldiers whimpering about their injuries, and a few men coaxing the third she had head-butted. Her intake of her surrounds was interrupted by a hand grabbing her by the scruff of the neck and hauling her up off the floor.

"Didn't Mommy and Daddy teach you manners?" Toph narrowed her eyes as Boss's words slipped from his mouth. "How is Fing?" Boss asked his men, who were behind her. Toph figured he must be referring to the guy she head-butted.

"He is still unconscious," one of the soldiers said through his helmet. "We got the helmet off, but it looks like it didn't do much." Toph smirked through the rag covering her mouth, slightly satisfied she reminded them who they were really messing with. Boss must have noticed this, for she felt him move his head so close to her face that she could smell his breath.

"You're lucky you have important parents, or I'd send you back to them in pieces." Toph felt him gripping her shoulder, hard. "But try another stunt like that again, and I promise you will get burned," he threatened, as a sudden small burst of heat materialized in front of Toph's face. She flinched and yelped with surprise. Seeing his message was sent clear enough, he pushed Toph against another body. Before she could gather what happened, she felt herself picked up and thrown over someone's shoulders. She tried bringing her feet down on his stomach, but her never made contact. After a few attempts, she hung her head.

Toph had never lost a battle before, but it felt like she just had. This feeling made her frustrated and angry. But the struggle she went through had worn the Earthbender down, and her head was still ringing from the blow to the chest. She was proud she made them suffer for the unfair fight. Yet the fact that she lost did not upset her as much as how she lost.

_This is pathetic. You're better than this Toph! _she mentally yelled at herself as she felt the soldier carrying her begin to move. She closed her eyes, and sighed. The whole thing felt like a bad dream. She wanted to wake up back at their campground, hearing Katara scolding Sokka while Aang played with Appa or Momo, to hear Sokka's lame jokes and unwitty comebacks.

Toph opened her eyes and slightly raised an eye brow. Did she just tell herself she missed Sokka's lame jokes? Truth be told, he had very little taste or shame when it came to his jokes. But for some reason, Toph really felt like hearing one right now.

Toph thought of something Sokka would say in a situation like this. She thought for a moment, but failed to come up with anything. Maybe it was pride, or the fact she had more important stuff to worry about, but Toph couldn't stoop so low to Sokka's level. That would be like rubbing salt on an open wound, considering the circumstances. _Jailed, cornered, humiliated and kidnapped by a bunch of sissy's who call themselves soldiers. Can things get any worse?_ she asked herself.

"Alright men, let's head out. I have a rebellion to end." Boss's voice had an overconfident ring to it that made Toph sick. She knew right away that the worst part of this would be having to listen to this idiot talk. As she felt herself being carried away, she heard something heavy walking toward them. She tensed up, expecting Appa to be walking to the building outside, along with her friends.

Toph's hopes were shattered when she heard a metal crunch followed by a heavy thud of a shoe hitting the ground. Toph groaned, cursing the spirits for taking her question too literal. She felt the man carrying her stop and tense up.

"You. What do you want?" Boss's cool voice came from in front of Toph.

She heard a clanking noise come from the direction of the assassin, and she felt the solider carrying her tense up even more and shift his stance. Toph assumed his stance would be to high tail it and run the first chance he got before this freak blew them all up. She recognized this metal hand and foot guy from when they first attacked them at their camp.

"Well, you can't have her. She is under my _protection_." Boss put a crude emphasis on protection. Silence followed suit.

Toph listened, trying to decipher what would happen next. However, she could do little in her condition except for what Dunderhead carrying her did. Just what she needed to feel even better. Toph suddenly heard the man across the hallway take a deep breath though his nose, making her eyes widen and thrash around, trying to tell them all to run before they all were blown up.

"Fire!" Boss's voice was the last thing Toph heard before a gigantic explosion engulfed them.

* * *

"I told you this was a bad idea!" Sokka bluntly stated again to Katara as they ran through the village.

Katara had returned to their camp in tears, telling them that it was her fault. Aang and Sokka both knew something was up. Katara had explained the situation to them while they ran, and Sokka voiced his anger openly to his sister, while Aang, the conflict avoiding monk he was, kept quiet. The only thing he had said was they would get Toph back.

Sokka hoped that nothing bad was happening to Toph. He did not like the sound of this General Mao character from what Katara had described him. Then again, there was not much Sokka liked from the Fire Nation.

"Sokka! I get it. You don't need to keep repeating yourself!" an irritated Katara snapped back as they ran through an ally way.

Sokka turned to his sister. She had a hurt and angry look in her face. He suddenly felt bad for going off on his sister. But she should have known better. She was the one who got Toph into this mess, and she had spent most of the week trying to get her to stop! The whole scam was her idea anyway.

"Look, I'm sorry Katara, but you should have weighed in the risks before you decided to do this. It wasn't like Toph would; she never weighs any of the risks." Sokka sighed as they rounded a sharp corner, barely missing a merchant pulling a cart of fruit. "I just don't want anything to happen to Toph," Sokka told his sister. She gave him a sad smile as they rounded another corner, catching some suspicious glances from the locals.

"I know. I'm sorry. I'm so-" Katara was cut off by a loud boom. The gang stopped and turned their heads towards the explosion. A trail of black smoke came spewing out from an unknown location, down on the other side of the village.

"That's gotta be Toph!" Aang exclaimed with excitement as he takes off in the direction of the smoke, followed closely by Katara and Sokka.

Several people gasped in shock at the smoke as the three of them ran by the frightened locals. Sokka gripped the hilt of his sword, expecting a firebender to jump out of every corner. After training with Master Paindao, Sokka learned to use the terrain to his advantage. So far, he saw little advantage they had running blindly through the maze of buildings, in enemy territory. The only advantage they had was the element of surprise, but they would have to only relay on him and Katara, something he knew Aang hated, and would detest the very idea of it while his friend was in trouble.

"What are we going to do if Toph is still in trouble?" Sokka asked, his question directed at Aang. The airbender seemed to know this, for a downhearted expression overtook his face.

Aang let out a frustrated sigh. "I'll hang back. If things look bad, I will find a way to get us out of there." Aang said as he jumped over a few boxes. Sokka smiled and turned his head back to the smoke. They were getting close. He could hear the sizzle and crack of fire. Whatever Toph did, she might have over done it, again. Sokka grinned as he pictured Toph calmly walking out of the wreckage, casually dusting her pants off.

Sokka knew Toph was a fighter, and given the right circumstances, and regarding her temper, Toph could make even the spirits cringe in fear with her Earthbending abilities. Despite Toph's temper, Sokka felt more at ease with Toph than anyone else in the group. He never understood this, but he figured it was during their conversation they had the night before.

Toph was willing to trust him with personal information on how Katara was better than her own mother. He rubbed his arm where Toph had punched him, leaving a decent sized burse. _Don't ever tell her I said any of this._ Toph's threating voice rang through his head.

As they rounded the final corner, Sokka's grin faded into a downtrodden frown. The building, which he assumed was the police station, was in flames, annihilated, charred. The front portion of the building was gone; all that remained was a smoldering pile of wood. Across the street from the station were some guards and prisoners sitting on the ground. They all looked a little jittery, but other than that, they did not look hurt. Sokka immediately walked up towards the prisoners, hoping Toph was among them.

The guards saw him approach and sized him up, seeing if he was some sort of threat. He put his hands at his side, showing he was no threat, which seemed to work, for he saw the guards relax.

"Did you happen to see a small girl with jet black hair in there?" Sokka asked, getting straight to the point as he looked at the faces of the prisoners. There were fifteen of them sitting there, arms crossed over their knees, looks of defeat and shame written all over their faces. None of them belonged to Toph.

"I have no idea who you are talking about," the guard in front of him grunted, crossing his arms over his chest. Sokka sighed, looking at the other guards. His face brightened when one of them stepped forward.

"You mean the Runaway?" the female guard asked with an equally blunt voice. Sokka nodded his head, feeling that he was getting on the right track. The guard shook her head sadly, making Sokka's stomach cringe.

"If you're hoping to get your money back from her, you're out of luck. General Mao came by right before the explosion to get her," she said. Sokka nodded his head in thanks and walked back to Katara and Aang, who ventured closer to the area of the explosion.

His fists were clenched together, rage coursing through his whole body. How could this have happened? Especially to someone like Toph. What did he want with Toph? As he walked up to Katara and Aang, their expressions rose with optimism and hope. Sokka just shook his head, and that was all he needed to do.

"We're, too late?" Aang said to himself, looking defeated for the first time sense he awoke on the stolen Fire Nation ship. Katara had her hands wrapped around herself, looking away from them, still blaming herself for what happened.

Sokka walked past both of them and looked at the charred remains of the front of the station. He still refused to accept it, that she was gone. She was still here, and he would find her. Sokka closed his eyes. Sorrow washed over him as he considered that this was his fault. After what happened the evening before, he discovered that Toph had indeed trusted him, much more than he thought. If he was thinking beforehand, he could have stopped Toph from over-obsessing with the scams. He shook his head, knowing the lie made things worse. She was as much to blame for her actions as he was, but he still felt responsible, and it tore him up inside knowing he could have done something, yet didn't.

"We have to go after her," he declared back to them. Aang and Katara both looked at Sokka with wide eyes.

"He's right. We need to go look for Toph. She can't be that far," Aang stated as he walked up to Sokka. He smiled as he looked at the Airbender. He knew Aang felt the same way, for he even took part in their little scams that caused Toph to get this much attention.

"We need to get her back. It's my fault she got caught." Katara walks up to them. Aang shook his head at Katara.

"No, it's all of our faults. But that doesn't matter now. What's done is done. Right now, we'd better focus on finding Toph," Aang said in his realistic tone.

Katara smiled at Aang, silently agreeing with him. She wrapped her arms around Aang, making the young monk blush as she hugged her back. Sokka smiled as he watched the two of them. He started to walk away from them when Aang's voice drew his attention back. Sokka turned back to see a shadow over Aang and Katara's face.

"What about the invasion?" he asked in a whisper, just loud enough for him to hear. Sokka looked dumbfounded.

"How can you even say that? This is Toph we're talking about!" Sokka screeched, drawing some attention from the guards. The three of them noticed this and took their conversation back in an ally way. Sokka was bewildered as to Aang's sudden change of heart.

"She's your best friend," Sokka stated, pointing his finger at both Katara and Aang. "So we are just going to leave her in Mao's hands? What happened to going out to look for her?" Sokka clenched his teeth together. The thought of leaving Toph in the hands of Mao was heinous, a thought he did not want to imagine.

"Sokka, Aang has a point. Where do you think a Fire Nation General is going to take a captive, one who was with the Avatar?" Katara declares in a sad voice. She seemed to not like the idea either, even if it was the better choice. Sokka failed to make the connection, even though he knew what it was. He refused to look at it, even consider it as an option.

"I'm not waiting a week to go look for her in that city. Besides, we don't even know that is where he took her! For all we know, she can be somewhere completely different." Sokka's exasperated voice was getting higher pitched. He waited for a response from his two friends. They did not say anything, nor did they have to. The expressions on their faces told Sokka everything.

"I swear Sokka, on the day of the invasion, we will look for Toph. When I defeat Ozai, I will order him to tell us where she is. Avatar's honor," Aang said with a firm look on his face. He even crossed his heart. Sokka stared at the boy, wondering where Aang was and who this person was standing before him. As much as he hated it, it made the most sense. This island was small, and there was already a lot of activity on it. He was actually surprised their camp hadn't been discovered.

Sokka slowly nodded his head, letting out a depressed sigh. "Alright. I don't like it, but if that's what you feel is the best, then I'm all for it," Sokka said as he turned to trudge back to camp. Katara and Aang followed closely behind them.

_I promise you Toph, where ever you are, I will find you._

* * *

**Hope you all liked it so far and thank you for reading it. Stay tuned for Chapter 2!**

**Just a heads up, I decided to make Toph 13 instead of 12. Not a huge difference, but I just thought I should bring that up.**


	2. Chapter 2

******That took a while to write and edit but it's finally done! **

**Here is Chapter two! Its longer than the last Chapter, but I hope you enjoy it none the less. :) **

**Again, I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender**

* * *

Chapter 2

Toph's ears were still ringing while she lay on a wooden floor. The assassin did blow them up, but Toph had no idea how they were still alive. All she heard was the deep breath, and then an explosion. She did feel a large blast of heat coming from Dunderhead's right hand, giving Toph the indication that somehow their Firebending managed to stop the assassin's explosion. She closed her eyes, replaying what had just transpired a couple hours before.

Most of it was a blur for Toph. She wondered if she would ever be able to hear again after that fiasco. Her hearing is, along with her other senses, vital for her getting around, and being able to take on aerial attackers that she couldn't feel with her feet. Which by the way were starting to hurt from the rope. Her head was also ringing because of the explosion, which was only fueling the raging headache that Toph had to contend with.

She knew they walked through the streets of the village for a while. This was one of the biggest blurs, for her head had pounded and she felt slightly dizzy. Her ears did manage to pick up the distinct sound of boots walking on metal.

Her heart had skipped a beat, and she renewed her struggle only for a short while. Toph would swear that Dunderhead was more of a sissy than the rest of the soldiers, but the little credit she gave him was his strength. He held on to her as if his life depended on it. Thinking back on it, his life may have depended on it, based on how Boss had ordered them on threat of death that no part of her touches the metal of the ship.

Upon hearing that she was about to board a ship, Toph began to thrash around even more and yell through her rag-covered mouth. She wasn't only squirming around in a vain hope for escaping, but mostly in getting their attention, in hopes Boss or one of them would get the rag off her face. Boss must have been amused because she heard him chuckle.

"Is something wrong, Miss Bei Fong? Aren't you comfy?" Toph ignored his comment and continued to throw inaudible grunts at him, still hoping he would take it off. If she was going on a ship, there was a good chance that she would get sea sick, and the last thing she wanted to do was choke on her own vomit. This only intensified when she heard her own echo and the ones of the soldiers around her.

Her ears were slightly getting better, for she heard a groan come from Dunderhead, as if he had anything to groan about. "You're a real pain, you know that?" Dunderhead's muffled voice caught Toph by surprise. Once she recognized who it was, she opted to redirect her wrath on him. Maybe he would understand what Toph was saying.

"Take this thing off! I get sea sick!" Toph repeated through the rag, which came out as non-understandable muffles.

"What?" Toph felt Dunderhead stop walking, and she suspected he was glancing at her. "Uhh sir, I think she's gonna be sick." Satisfied that her message came out partially clear, Toph noted to let Boss know if he wanted her alive, he'd better take GOOD care of her. She grinned slightly at the thought of manipulating these thickheaded fools.

Her grin quickly dissipated as she felt a hand grab the rag and pull it down around her neck. She spat out the lose fragments that were stuck in her mouth, hoping they landed right on Boss's face.

"You're going to be ill?" Mao's impatient voice echoed through what sounded like a small corridor.

"Finally! You want me to choke or something?" Toph's aggravated tone found its way back to life as she glared in the direction of Boss. "I get sea sick moron! If I mean as much to you guys alive as you say, you'd better keep that off!" How she would give anything to wipe the smirk off his face. Toph had a feeling they all were as she slowed her breathing, quenching her dry mouth's thirst for fresh air. Her aggravation quickly changed to bitter anger as she heard Boss, and a few other men chuckle.

"We aren't taking a boat back to the capital. Too slow," Boss said as she felt Dunderhead begin to move again. Sounded like the rest of them were following Boss up some stairs. She heard a loud hiss from above her, which left her unfazed, as she welcomed the cool mist on her face.

"Great. Finally something goes my way for a change today," Toph said with a sarcastic tone. She felt Dunderhead stop, and heard someone opening a door. Before she knew it, Toph was picked up from the back of Dunderhead's shoulder, and placed on the floor. She sat up, but did not bother to turn her head in the direction of her captors.

"Just to be safe, take that off her," Toph felt the rag being untied from the back of her head and removed. She felt a little relieved inside, but her anger was radiating off her like lava flowing down a volcano. The others could feel it, for when she turned to face the direction of where she heard Boss's voice, she heard a quick couple of thuds moving away from her. No doubt, the punishment she dealt to the three soldiers was still fresh in their minds.

She waited for more of Boss's self-boasting, but instead she heard a wooden door slam shut and the lock turned, followed by a metal sounding door closing.

Toph finally sighed, which turned into an over-exaggerated yawn. Toph didn't know what happened or what caused it, but immediately after her yawn, she felt the stinging sensation of tears in her eyes. Are they from the pain she felt in her head, or the ringing in her ears? Or was it something else entirely? She wondered what was causing this as she wiped her eyes with her right shoulder.

Was it from truly being blind now? Toph was used to being able to see her own way, and even see the things that people couldn't. Not being able to see anything but blackness was a bit overwhelming. Even being on Appa, where she was just as blind as the day she was born, she still had her other senses to rely on. She did not have that luxury here.

The air was filled with a mixture of metal and freshly polished wood, most likely from what she was laying on. Her ears picked up a low humming sound, radiating from somewhere on board….whatever she was on.

Toph began to breath slower, hoping it would calm her down. She had felt Aang do it at camp in the morning and at sunset. He said it gives him piece of mind, as well as a positive way to relieve stress. She used to make fun of his little air head traditions, especially while she was training him in Earthbending.

Even though she did make fun of him, she did notice it had an impact on Twinkles. While he was training with her, his heart would beat faster than normal and he would be all jittery and nervous. That would all change after his "quiet time." Toph slightly chuckled as she tried to make herself comfortable, shifting her legs so she could be sitting on her knees. While she was moving around, her hands graced the rope around her sore ankles. Her eyes immediately opened wide with surprise, then morphed into a determined small smile. She could still get out of this trap!

Arching her back forward slightly, she was able to get her fingers down on the rope that secured her precious feet. With a couple of pulls, she confirmed what she already knew; she had to find the knot if she wanted to get out of this. No amount of strength was going to be any help to her. She grunted as she strained her back, trying to reach down further for the knot. She stretched her two middle fingers out as far as she could go, hoping to feel the rough material.

Nothing.

"Crud!" Toph shouted as she rolled over on her side. "What in the world is holding this together?" she mumbled as she tried again from a different angle. Her last bit of hope was failing fast.

The humming sound suddenly got a loud louder, causing Toph's already sore head to hurt even more. Toph rolled over again, groaning and cursing Boss under her breath as her ears began to ring again from the increasingly loud humming.

"A slow and painful death is too good for them," Toph said through gritted teeth, trying to block out the endless racket. She focused her frustrated thoughts on Boss. "I'm going to pound him into the spirit world, have Aang bring him back, THEN pound him into oblivion." Not seeing as there was much to do here, Toph slowly closed her eyes, hoping to block out the noise and think of another way to escape.

The whole trip had been a headache-inducing nightmare. Toph was sure her head was literary going to explode at one point from all the pain. To make things even worse, time felt like it came to a halt all of a sudden. What felt like the whole day, took them only till evening. The sun was just starting to set when they entered the capital.

She did not picture herself entering the Fire Nation capital this way. Envisioned in her mind was her storming the beach with her friends, taking down every Fire Nation soldier and bender that got in their way. Once the Fire Lord had the spirits knocked out of him, they would parade around the Fire Nation as heroes. Loud music, good food, and people giving them the hero treatment. She had pictured herself being able to sit on the Fire Lord's throne at least for a little bit, just to see how it felt. Now, she wasn't so sure if she would be able to do any of that. At least the invasion was still a secret, and they would catch the Fire Nation and Lord with their pants down. Toph felt a surge of hope. Maybe they would find her during the invasion. She felt a little more at ease from this, but only just.

From there, Toph was carried to what sounded and felt like a stagecoach. The interior she was placed in was made of, can you believe it, wood. Toph was already getting sick of the material, and vowed that once she got out of this she was never going to leave the ground she so desperately missed and needed to survive.

Even though she was still fifty shapes of angry, frustrated, and a little sad, she was surprised with what she heard going on in Capital City.

Back when she lived with her parents, she was taught that the Fire Nation was a militaristic, barbaric civilization that bred its people for war. What she was currently hearing was the exact opposite. The sound of people talking, laughing, enjoying the evening as (what felt like) the final rays of the sun shedding its light on the capital filled her ears. It almost sounded like she was back home in Gaoling.

She heard men and women bartering over food at what sounded and smelt like a market. Toph's mouth began to water at the tantalizing scent of cooked meat. She had gone without food for the whole day! Well, besides Katara's breakfast but with what little they had, it wasn't enough.

Disappointment snuck up on Toph as the voices of a lighthearted city than she thought possible in the Fire Nation grew fainter. Now the sound of steam, sweat and maybe a hint of blood filled the air. She heard the sharp sound of boots marching rhythmically past her cage on wheels.

This was the Fire Nation she grew up hearing about, and she was now smack in the middle of it. Toph shivered unexpectedly. She all of a sudden felt uncomfortable. Like someone was watching her.

The hair on her neck stood up on end.

Now someone was definitely watching her, and intently too. Toph felt herself getting scared again.

Suddenly the cart stopped with a jolt, sending Toph sliding forward, bringing her back to the outside world. She was yanked from the cart, and thrown over another man's shoulder. He walked for a good while, eventually entering a building. Toph's sense told her that it was another prison, but her ears could not detect anything.

"Since you are my special prisoner, you will be kept in my garrison, under special protection." She heard Boss's voice for the first time since entering the capital as she was set down on her feet, on yet another wooden floor. What Toph did not expect was to feel the quick motion of a sharp object cutting her arms and legs free. Before Toph could move, she was pushed further into the cell and heard the door close as she landed face first on the floor with a grunt.

Once again, Toph was left alone in the darkness, with nothing but herself and the sounds of her friends to keep her company.

Rubbing her sore arms, she felt rope marks, sore to the touch. She winced as she felt one spot on her right arm, burned and torn from all the friction caused by the struggling. The whole thought of it weighed down on Toph. Trying to bring her mind to piece, she tried Aang's relaxing method again.

_How does Twinkles do it again? _She thought to herself as she moved her stiff ankles and feet around in circles, getting the blood back into them. She remembered how Aang would sit while he would meditate, and decided to give it a shot. It's not like she had anything else to lose.

She crossed her legs and put her two arms together, a direct copy that would have impressed Aang himself, not to mention bewilder him at the sight of her in this position. This was, however as much as Toph knew. The rest would be a shot in the dark, literally.

_He always breaths that funny way. _Toph took a deep breath in and slowly let one out. She did this for a few minutes, slow and steady breathing. After a while of this, she did feel something. She opened her mouth, and...

yawned.

"This isn't working!" she groaned as she laid down, sprawled all over the floor. Her head was still ringing with pain and with what all just transpired.

It still hadn't hit Toph. She felt like this was just some bad dream she was in, that she would walk up to Sokka snoring like a platypus bear. Toph's face began to burn as the thought crept through her mind, like Twinkles does when he is trying to be sneaky. She slowly put her hand on her face, just to confirm with her "vision" that what she felt was really what she thought.

Yup, she was blushing...over imagining Sokka snoring? At that moment, Toph considered that the bump on her head was affecting her more than she realized, because there was nothing to blush about regarding Sokka's horrible snoring.

She moved to stretch out her sore body, when her hand suddenly graced over what felt like a blanket. Toph rolled over on her stomach toward the blanket, and landed on a bedroll. She softly smiled to herself as she crawled over to it and collapsed on it, her tiredness finally catching up to her. She passed out before she could think of a reason why she thought of Sokka in the first place, the blush still lingering on her face like pink daises slowly closing up in when night set in.

* * *

**4 days later.**

Toph still had not adjusted to being held by Boss. She was constantly miserable, sad, and angry. Her cell was surprisingly cool, despite the raging heat from the summer sun. This made the nights for her unbelievably cold. Her first day there, they gave her an actual mattress, at least making her nights more comfortable. The meals weren't that bad either. Rise and chicken with some bread and water given to her two times a day. Other than that, she had no contact with the outside world.

Her irritability was unheard off. Not wanting to seem helpless, she would rage to any sound she heard coming from the outside. At first she would get a couple sharp retorts from the other room, but her come backs would prove to be too sinister. As a result, the changing of the guard soon became the franticly scrambling of the guard, and the reluctant arrival of the guard. The traumatic stories of the three soldiers she attacked during her capture must have spread throughout the barracks. Amused that they still feared her, she decided to indulge herself in playing some mind games with the guards.

After three days of harassing and terrifying the sentries, she had managed to terrify two different groups of guards that were supposed to guard her. The sudden out bursts of _I can touch your armor from here, _or _want to hear what happened to those guys who picked me up _kept them on edge. To top it off, Toph would tell them exactly what happened, with a little bit of exasperation just to get their imaginations going.

"….then I twisted his arm and sent him through the wall," Toph finished explaining another twist to her kidnapping four days before. It didn't matter to her if they were paying attention to her or not, but they couldn't block out her voice. She smiled to herself though as she heard a slight gasp come from one of the new guards, a private as he had identified himself by rank as Boss came by again to check up on her.

Boss had sounded rather excited this morning, more than he normally sounded. He gave his same lame old instructions to the guards, on how to make sure her food "was cooked properly," and "not poisoned." Toph gave an obnoxiously loud laugh upon hearing this as she heard Boss walk away.

Despite her slightly getting used to her predicament, Toph still had not gotten used to being blind and helpless like this, and nor would she ever. The first night she woke up, thinking all of it was a bad dream, but when she felt the smooth wood beneath her feet, the whole weight of the situation bore down on her, and spent most of the night fighting the urge to cry.

To her, crying showed weakness and that was one thing she wasn't going to show these men. So, instead of showing fear, she showed bitter resentment and anger to begin with, but that quickly turned to screwing with the guards and instilling them with fear.

She enjoyed hearing their sudden gasps, or their nervous movements, as if they were desperately waiting to see their relief so they could get as far away from her as possible.

"Did you kill him?" one of the guards asked, fear masking his voice. Toph snorted as she put her arms behind her head while lying on her mattress.

" Naw. I'm not a killer, as you can tell," she stated. Her sightless eyes stared towards the dark ceiling. She heard one of the guards move a bit. Either he was shifting uncomfortably, or he was looking in at her. "I make people wish they are dead, I pound them so badly," Toph added, punching her right arm into her left fist. She heard the soldier shutter.

"Relax kid." She heard a sharp retort from the other guard. "She can't bend in there. It's all made of wood." A loud bang came from the door, no doubt from the annoyed guard. "Keep your mouth shut in there!" he shouted threateningly.

Toph was unfazed by the empty threat. In fact, she was amused whenever they threatened her. It usually meant they were just as scared as the other ones.

Picking her toes for the third time that day, Toph let out a loud chuckle.

"It's not my fault you guys stink so bad at fighting that you get stuck with guard duty," she mocked. She heard another loud bang, and it sounded like that one hurt his hand. Toph saw this as her only way to get back at the Fire Nation, currently anyways. Pathetic, but she was buying her time. She vowed to make every single one of these sorry excuses for men cry like little school girls when she got out. Just three more days till the invasion, and she would be home free.

Satisfied with her toe picking, Toph put her hands behind her head again, wallowing in her thoughts, thinking of something else she could say to make the soldier smash his other hand against the door.

"General Mao? Back so soon?"

Mao? Toph kept her head in the same position, but listened in on the conversation. She finally heard a name from someone, and from the title, she assumed this was "Boss."

She could hear the rapid footsteps descending the stairs, and the stiffening sound from the two Dunderheads guarding her outside as if they were standing attention to the man as he came towards them.

"You two, come with me now!" The general's angry voice barked out his orders. This wasn't how he normally acted. Usually whenever Toph heard him, he was quietly muttering to himself about some plan. Toph wondered if his sudden outburst had anything to do with his plan. Not really caring to hear him rant and rave about his precious plan, Toph rolled over on her right side, blocking out his hyperventilating breaths coming from upstairs.

"Sir, just calm down." Toph winced as she heard a loud thud, what sounded like a fist striking flesh. Mao obviously wasn't going to calm down.

"Never tell me to calm down!" His yell echoed as she heard them traverse back up the stairs. He expelled a frustrated cry, then silence quickly followed suit. Toph stood up slightly, amused to hear the man suffer in his own way. She strained her ears, hoping to hear more of what he was talking about. She heard him sigh, and then he spoke.

"It is no matter, not anymore. We have other matters to attend to," Toph heard him barley say. Hoping to hear better, Toph got up, and walked toward the door of her cage. She heard him speaking, but wasn't able to understand what he was saying. Toph knelt down at the edge of the cage, resting her head against the outline of it, straining her ears even further.

"….50 men down to the beaches. They need to reinforce the garrison down there for the invasion." Toph's heart stopped beating for a split second as her eyes widened, horror scribbled all over her face like a child's wild drawing. What washed over her next was a strong nauseating feeling, her stomach doing summersaults inside of her. She felt her head beginning to pound again, not from her bump, but the amount of blood that was being gushed around her body thanks to the rate her heart now beat.

They knew of the invasion! Aang, Katara, Sokka, their parents-all of them, were in real danger now. She blinked, suddenly feeling water slowly running down her face.

_No, I'm not going to cry! They will be fine!_ she told herself as she violently swiped the tear away, only to let it be replaced by another. Toph wiped that one too, as she kept telling herself everything would be okay.

It had to be.

Aang had become a powerful Earthbender, not to mention his Air and Waterbending. Katara was pretty much a master Waterbender, and Sokka had his space sword, as well as training from the best swordsmen in the world.

She cringed, gritting her teeth at the thought of something happening to any of them.

_It will be okay, it has to be. Nothing bad will happen._ She kept trying to convince herself, but it wasn't working this time. She was truly scared, not for her own safety, but the safety of her friends.

For the first time since she became an Earthbender, no longer bound to the foreboding darkness that she was born with, Toph Bei Fong let the tears freely fall.

* * *

**3 days later**

The invasion had come and gone. The Fire Nation knew they were coming, and had planned accordingly. Toph heard some of the fighting from her cell. Her heart skipped a beat when she heard voices celebrating and cheering; had they won?

Had Aang taken out the Fire Lord?

Was everyone okay?

So many questions ran through Toph's head that it hurt to leave them unanswered, like stepping on a thorn bush and not being able to get all the needles out of her feet.

No matter how loud she shouted, no one came to her aid. Her anger and frustration rose to unbelievable levels. She should be out there helping the invasion instead of sitting in her cell like a rat. The eclipse did have the Fire Nation on the run, but only for the precious minutes the moon blocked the sun. Toph realized that their victory was short lived, for her ears picked up frantic screams of retreat echo throughout the city.

That was when she heard the bombs fall, and she could have sworn she heard Appa's roar echo through the city.

Desperate to escape and join the fight, Toph resorted to using her strength to smash through her wooden cage, even ramming her whole body into it in the hopes of breaking out.

It was no use. All she gained was sore knuckles and shoulders. She could not stand this feeling any more as frantic tears formed in her eyes. She growled and wiped them away as she punched the wood again, releasing a frustrated yell in the process.

As her fist made contact with the cell, she felt a sharp sting as a warm liquid slowly formed around her knuckle and drip down her fingers like tainted rain. Now her right hand really hurt.

Fearing she might have done serious damage, she came to her senses and stopped, and listened. She could no longer hear any voices, only the faint growl and slight pops of fire.

Suddenly, she heard a series of explosions and then, silence.

She pushed her ears to the limit, hoping they would pick up something, anything.

All she heard was the wind casting it's ominous breath around the city.

Dreading the worst, Toph's legs suddenly gave out from under her and she fell on her bed, sitting upright, hands over her ears and her eyes shut, shaking her head.

The pain in her hand was nothing compared to what she felt now. She had to sit in here while her friends and those brave enough to partake in this invasion could be dead, at least captured, doomed to a worse fate than herself.

Sokka, Aang, and Katara all came into Toph's mind. She kept the record of their voices there, for that was all she had, her permanent soundtrack of their voices. No images, no facial features, not even the color of their hair or eyes. Just their voices. That was all she had, and feared she would never hear them in person again.

Her mind drifted over the two Water Tribe siblings. She missed them, the qualities she liked and even disliked about the two. There was much more dislike from Sokka's end, but now she found herself wishing, almost pleading to hear him say something stupid, just so she could laugh. Her mind immediately brought her to when they were in the desert, while Sokka was wasted off Cactus Juice. A small laugh escaped her mouth as she clearly remembered Sokka's random and hilarious outbursts of giant mushrooms, and repeatedly asking who had lite her, Katara, and then himself on fire.

Suddenly, Toph snapped her eyes open and sat up, her senses on alert.

Someone was in the room with her. She did not notice this person coming in, and that scared her, for she should have heard the person enter.

"What are you staring at?" Toph yelled in the direction she sensed the individual was standing.

She was met with silence.

Toph listened for breathing, or other footsteps. Once again, nothing.

Nobody was in the cage with her.

This greatly scared Toph, for she was certain she felt someone watching her. Toph began to feel uneasy; was she going crazy? She had sworn she felt something, and the hair on the back of her neck was standing on end like a spooked cat. She knew someone was in here, but she did not know who, or what for that matter.

Suddenly, a warm feeling plunged through Toph. She felt adrift, almost as if she were floating with a warm, comforting breezing that glided her through the air.

A tranquil feeling came over Toph, if she knew what tranquil even was. To her, it was soothing, as if all of her worries were being blown away in the warm breeze.

She slowly stood up and stretched her arms out horizontally, feeling the breeze go past her legs and arms. She felt it softly grace her face, slowly moving her bangs. She smiled, probably for the first time in three days since hearing about the invasion.

For the first time since she was kidnapped by Mao, she truly felt at ease.

Toph could not decipher why she felt this way. Then again, she wasn't trying too hard. She was lost in a world that all of a sudden had no worries; her mind was somewhere she couldn't explain, and did not want to leave.

Toph quickly got tired of standing and laid down on her bed, the warm breeze and soothing feeling following her down, engulfing her like a warm blanket. The moment her head hit her pillow, she felt extremely drowsy. She had trouble sleeping for the past three nights, worrying about her friends. Now, she had nothing to worry about.

This for her was weird, and she slightly felt guilty for not worrying. But the moment those guilty thoughts entered her mind, they were kicked out. She could not keep them in.

She would not keep them in.

As she felt sleep overtaking her, she could hear a soft, soothing voice in the background. It sounded like her own mother's voice, sweet and gentle but also sounded like Katara's, strong and brave.

_Don't worry child, everything will be okay._

* * *

**4 days later**

"Everyone in the Fire Nation thinks I am a traitor. I couldn't drag her into it." Zuko explained to Sokka as he gazed into the fire that he just added flames too.

Sokka looked at the prince's sad expression as he stared into the dancing flames, seeing something that only he could see.

The night before, Sokka had confronted Zuko as to where the Fire Nation kept prisoners of war. He had his own selfish reasons for going: He wished to find his father.

He was grateful that Zuko was willing to help, but part of him still saw the psychopathic teenager who hunted them all over the world. He trusted Zuko, but he felt awkward riding a balloon with someone who has tried to kill them multiple times in the past. Part of this trip was just one awkward silence. The two boys were grateful for something to talk about that they had in common: girls.

Sokka leaned back against the edge of the balloon, eyes closed. He remembered Princess Yue, how she gave up her life to go into the moon. The memory of holding on to her as she disappeared from their form of existence still tugged at him.

"My first girlfriend turned into the moon," He stated sadly, turning his head to the side and glancing back at Zuko.

Zuko looked up towards the red balloon for a bit. He then looked Sokka square in the eyes. "That's rough buddy," He said.

Sokka glanced his eyes to the side, the memory running it's chaotic course through his emotions. He wished there could have been something different, if he could have done something different. He had asked himself that question many time the past couple of days.

He had asked himself why he couldn't have led the invasion to victory, let alone plan one.

How could he let Azula play mind games with him, keeping Aang and Haru from finding the Fire Lord. No matter what Aang or Haru said to him, he still felt like the whole invasion was his fault.

He felt even worse when he thought about Toph, and what he could have done for her. He had failed to find the young Earthbender, going as far as the not leave until he found her. Surrounded and facing death, he accepted the rescue from his sister and Appa, and headed back to the beach, only to witness the destruction of their subs.

It was his fault, if he did not spend so much time looking for Toph, he could have organized a better retreat. Instead, it resulted in the surrender of everyone who partook the invasion, except for those who got away on Appa.

Sokka's eyes suddenly widened with hope. Maybe Toph wasn't there at all. Maybe she was at the Boiling Rock! He nearly slapped himself for not seeing it before.

"Zuko, you know a guy by the name of Mao?" Sokka asked. Zuko had turned and closed the fire pit's small door, keeping the flame alive.

"You mean General Mao?" Zuko said, turning his head to Sokka. He nodded his head, and Zuko immediately frowned, a slightly disgusted look on his face. "I know of him," He stated as he looked over the endless horizon. Sokka's heart jumped, forcing him to expel the words from his chest.

"He kidnapped Toph! Sokka belatedly stated

"Who?" Zuko inquired, a serious tone escaping his mouth.

"You met her once," Sokka explained, as he walked next to Zuko, looked across the horizon. "Short black haired girl, wears green and yellow, blind, world's greatest Earthbender." Sokka listed off a few of Toph's noticeable traits.

Zuko looked down and his face scrunched up in thought. A lot transpired the past couple of days, and some things were hard to remember. Sokka understood this, but he was praying that Zuko knew something, anything.

"She related to the Bei Fongs?" Zuko asked, opening his eyes and glancing his narrow eyes towards the young warrior. Sokka nodded his head in response. Sokka did not know whether he should be relieved or worried when Zuko frowned and looked at him.

"She's their only daughter." Sokka answered, his voice getting a little more excited, all the while he was bracing himself for what Zuko was about to tell him. Zuko rubbed his hand through his hair, letting out a frustrated sigh as he stood up.

He now understood why Sokka nearly threw his life away during their retreat from Capital City.

"General Mao is a pig. All he cares about is fame, and money," Zuko explained with venom in his voice. He then turned and looked back out at the horizon, leaving Sokka to watch the prince; his emotionless face seemed to be unregistered with everything around him. "A few days before the invasion, my father had an important war meeting that I attended," Zuko paused, as if speaking this was difficult for him.

He closed his eyes and his head slightly tilted down. "My father's biggest concern was the rebellions in the Earth Kingdom, especially in Ba Sing Sa. While thinking over Shinu's report, Mao spoke out, stating he had another plan," Zuko growled as he opened his eyes.

"The last time that happened in his chamber, he burnt a child's face." Zuko muttered to himself. Sokka could feel his rage seeping out of the prince's body. He slowly stepped back, just in case he started to combust, or shoot flames out of his ears.

"He said he had recently acquired a special prisoner who could be of use to ending the Earth Kingdom rebellions. He said his prisoner was the only child of the very prestigious Bei Fong family, who are very influential in the Earth Kingdom." Zuko explained as he turned to Sokka.

"So she is still alive." Sokka said to himself as he let out a sigh of relief, slouching over. He raised himself partially up, glancing at Zuko from the top of his head. "She isn't at the Boiling Rock is she?" Zuko shock his head, and Sokka felt his heart take another dip.

"I don't know. But what I do know, is that Mao is going to use her not just to end the war. He has money in mind. That is the kind of man he is," Zuko said. Sokka nodded his head as Zuko turned towards Sokka, his arms crossed over his shoulder, a look of disgust edged on his face. "Mao isn't going to just give her back to the Bei Fongs just to end the war. He will more than likely demand a large ransom." Zuko added. Sokka suddenly took a step toward Zuko, a firm look in his eyes.

"Where can I find her?" He asked in a determined voice. He suddenly felt like a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders. Hearing that Toph was alive was just as good as finding out where his dad was. Now he just had to finish it and get her back.

"I don't know where she is," Zuko shrugged. "For all I know, she could be at the Boiling Rock. If not, then she is probably back at Capital City," Zuko explained

Sokka looked away from Zuko, back over the edge of the balloon. He had a doubtful look on his face, which Zuko noticed. "If we see one of those air ships with a black and gold dragon on it, then good chance she is there," He glances at Sokka, who now had a slightly confused look on his face. "It is his garrison's symbol, as well as his families," Zuko detailed to Sokka.

The young Water Tribe warrior slowly nods his head, though his face was lame with no emotion. His expression suddenly changed into a small, friendly smile and clasped his hand on Zuko's shoulder.

"Thanks. I really needed to hear that." He said as she sat back down, leaning against the wall, arms crossed and in deep thought.

Zuko smiled back at him as he opened the fire pit's door and bend a small flame in, adding more fire to power the motor. "Don't worry buddy. You will get her back." He said. Sokka nodded his head, his mind now completely over taken comforting fact that Toph was indeed alive.

* * *

**6 days later**

Every night, before Toph fell asleep, the same warm feeling came over her, bathing her in a sunset-warm, comforting breeze and the secure feeling that everything was okay, no matter how bad things would get. It was like she was floating on the cloud of eternal inner peace...and she couldn't explain how or why.

Throughout the day her mind was tormented with worry, but they were pushed aside every evening when this feeling came over her. She had this for several days. They all stopped the day Mao had her moved.

He had walked into her room suddenly with more of his men, saying that she was going home. Her hands and feet were rebound and she was loaded once again in the loaded cart, confused to the sudden change, and wondering what was going to happen next.

Home?

Why?

Although she was ecstatic, she didn't understand the transformation. Why would Mao instantly switch his plans and bring her to her homeland? Toph prayed she could touch solid ground, inhale the fresh scent of dew-dropped Earth Kingdom grass, shape her friendly ground into her bending creations of mass destruction against her enemies.

She heard the shouts of men, and what sounded like boxes being loaded into more carts. Mao's edgy, commanding voice echoed through the morning air as men ran around, loading more and more into the carts.

"Take all necessary materials. We will not be coming back to the Fire Nation for a while." Toph came to the realization that they were going to the Earth Kingdom. She wondered why she had to come along too. She pondered on this for a moment, despite a loud scraping nose of weapons being thrown onto each other.

Her eyes snapped open as all the pieces came crashing together: He was going to give her back to her parents! And she only guessed that there was going to be a ransom involved. Toph normally would have protested going back to her parents, but being held captive in the Fire Nation for all this time, that did not sound so bad. Was she actually going to be reunited with her family?

Toph soon changed her mind, begging to be brought back to her little cell once they brought her out to sea. She felt the ship sway side to side against the water, making her stomach and its contents swish and mix around, making her nauseated and turn every shape of green under the sun.

"This is low, even for you Mao. Putting a blind, SEA SICK girl on a boat," a green faced Toph complained as she tried to keep her breathing under control. When she first joined Aang and his friends, she would get nauseated while riding on Appa, especially whenever he turned or descended rapidly. After a while, she had gotten used to it and did not get nauseated, but seasickness though, was always her silent killer. While they traveled on the stolen Water Tribe ship, Hakota had given her a mixture that caused her seasickness to cease for twenty-four hours. She now wished she had a cup of that nasty drink.

"Keep your mouth shut and you'll be fine. We're almost there," a Dunderhead told her has Toph loudly groaned, wishing she could clench her stomach.

"If I puke, you're gonna be covered in it," Toph threatened through a few more breaths, fighting to keep her insides from spilling its contents out on the deck.

Toph was relieved that Dunderhead was right, for after a few more minutes Toph felt herself being carried of the ship and onto solid ground.

While she was carried, her ears detected the low humming noise she heard while on the other ship. As she tried to register where she was, and get over her seasickness, she heard the all too familiar sounding of them walking up metal stairs.

It sounded similar as to the one ship they were in when they first took her to the Capital, but Toph did not know what ship this was.

"Hey Mao, what is this thing?" Toph asked as she felt them level out, walking down the narrow sounding hallway. The answer she received was not from Mao, but the muffled voice of the soldier carrying her.

"Mao isn't here," he said as she heard a door open, and they continued into it. Toph was lifted off the soldier's shoulder, and she felt two pairs of hands grab her, holding on to her instead. "To answer your question, this is our air ship. Now hold still." Toph felt the rope's on her hands suddenly fall off. Before she could react, the hands that were holding on to her grabbed her and lifted her up. Toph renewed her struggling, trying to break their grip. The hands lifted her arms up above her head and she felt rope being looped around them again, leaving her hanging by her hands above the ground.

"Why do we gotta do this to some blind girl? She can't even see and there is no earth for her to bend," came a muffled voice behind her. He was right; Toph could not see. Her bound feet were dangling below her, unable to touch the floor. All she did know was that they were in a small room, judging from the echoes she heard.

"This comes directly from General Mao himself, so just shut up and follow orders." Toph suddenly sprouted a slight grin, as well as a mischievous idea. She lifted her head up and smiled confidently.

"Actually, I can see just fine, but I don't see like you guys see," Toph said in a causal tone as she felt the hands tying her own hands to the rope above her head stop, signaling the job was finished.

"What do you mean?" another voice came from in front of her. Toph could not contain the huge grin she had on her face.

"You hear this echo in here?" Toph asked, letting her voice carry through the room and down the hallway they came from. "I hear where people are by releasing a sonic wave from my mouth."

Toph did not give them a chance to respond, because the moment she finished, she took in a big breath of air and screamed as loud as she could.

It was the most obnoxious thing Toph had ever done, but she wanted to see these men in metal suffer. She did not hear this, but the men quickly took off their helmets and covered their ears as the loud shriek attacked their eardrums. Toph began to feel her own ears start to hurt so she stopped a big grin on her face.

"There, I got a pretty good look at you." she said, almost expelling a chuckle. She heard a couple of groans and then a door closing.

Though she really did not see that way, Toph used it so she could get her barring just a little bit. While she was screaming, she took the gamble of grabbing the rope with her hands and pulling herself up. It wasn't that far, for her hands grazed a hook. The fell down and the sudden stop felt like it was going to tear her arms out of their sockets, but at least she had a potential way of getting out.

"You'd better be on this ship Mao," Toph grumbled as she tried to block out the pain that had snuck up on her arms. _Cuz I'm gonna kick the fire snot right out of ya._

* * *

The island was much closer now as Sokka motioned the El hound to swim faster towards their destination. He and Suki planned to go and intercept the Fire Lord's air ship fleet, hoping they could help Aang in defeating him.

But he also was planning on finding Toph.

He was disappointed that she wasn't at the Boiling Rock, but was ecstatic on finding his dad, and Suki. That did not seem to fill the void that he was burdened with.

When Zuko told them all about his father's plan during the comet, his hopes rose again. He finally had a location as to where Toph could be, as well as Mao. Zuko explained to Sokka that every ship made was under his father's command. So, Mao would potentially be joining the fleet on their mission of terror in the Earth Kingdom. Sokka had gone ever plan, every battle move, everything that could be used to his advantage while they traveled around looking for Aang, and even at the White Lotus camp. He even went over some of them with Master Piandao.

Before he and Suki had left the camp to intercept the fleet, Piandao ordered an Earthbender named Dago to accompany them.

"There is no more efficient at hitting aerial targets than Dago. He will be able to help you intercept and stop the fleet," his old master had told him as Dago climbed up on the El hound behind Suki.

A man with a medium build, a clean shaved face with short black hair smiled to the two warriors as the El hound took off. Sokka noticed his sharp, green eyes darting all over the place. Sokka assumed he was just as mad as Bumi and thought no more of it.

Being brought back to the present by Suki, he looked back at the comet as she exclaimed how beautiful it looked. He had to admit, it did have a comforting glow, like the light given off by a campfire.

He suddenly felt the El hound touch land. He looked back to be met with a barren landscape, tinted orange from the comet's light. The El hound crouched down, allowing them to jump down and begin their sprint up the hill.

"The air base is on the other side of this hill," Dago said as they came to the top of the hill. Sokka prepared himself for the sprint down the steep hill toward the base, when a giant Fire Nation emblem came floating up a few feet in front of him, making his heart stop. They were too late.

"We're too late! The fleet is taking off!" Sokka exclaimed as he saw the other ships start to leave the ground. The lead ship with a golden dragon head flew overhead, heading in the direction they had just came in from.

A feeling of shame and panic rose over Sokka, but he quickly extinguished it. He had no time to feel sorry for himself. Not now; there was too much at stake. Thinking quickly and drastically, he did not hear Dago's question.

"What did you say the General's emblem was?" he asked, his eyes darting from ship to ship. When Sokka did not answer, Suki spoke for him.

"It is a black and gold dragon, on the side of….."

"I see it! Hold on, you two!" Dago shouted as he pushed Suki against Sokka. Sokka turned around to face Dago, but before he could do anything, Dago jumped in the air and slammed both of his feet on the ground, launching a startled Sokka and Suki in the air.

Sokka let out a shocked yelp as he was sent into the air with Suki in hand. He turned their bodies toward where they were sailing, and saw the balcony under the ships coming closer. They positioned themselves upward and landed on their feet, sliding slightly against the handle rail that stood between them and the water below.

"What did he do that for?" Sokka asked as he looked over the edge for Dago, failing to locate him.

"He said he found the ship with Mao's symbol on it," Suki stated as she walked next to her boyfriend. Sokka snapped his head up and smiled. This was it. He was on Mao's ship, hopefully close to Toph. He felt his adrenalin begin to gush through him as he drew his sword, letting his instincts take over.

"We gotta find Toph and stop this fleet," he told his girlfriend as he climbed the ladder, entering the air ship.

* * *

Toph could feel this metal hulk start to fly up into the air as she slowly swayed back and forth from the sudden acceleration of the ship. Her hands had gone numb from hanging in the position, and her feet were starting to hurt again. She wished that they at least cut those free so she would be more comfortable.

She could hear the low humming of what she suspected were the mortars that drove this ship through the air. Toph was thankful she wasn't as close to them as she was last time. She felt her body start to swing a little bit to the left, in unison with the ship.

After blowing out the soldiers' ear drums with her scream, she had a pretty good idea on how big the room was that she was in, for her anyway. Her echo did not dissipate for a while after she was done screaming, leading her to believe that her room was small, probably the same size as her cell back in the Fire Nation. As her body swung back, she decided to try another method on escape, one that could potentially be nice on her arms.

Using the slight moment she already had, Toph swung herself back in the same direction she came, extending her feet as far as she could, hoping to touch some metal. She felt nothing, but her momentum had only increased her speed and potentially her distance. Toph started to get excited as she prepared for another push.

She swung forward again, and this time she felt the sting of cold metal against her big toes. She was so surprised that she let out a sudden gasp and nearly forgot to push herself back. It wasn't enough to feel anything, but a fiery determination ignited in her eyes as she vowed to finally escape.

She pushed herself forward again, expelling a grunt as she held up her feet, preparing them to ram against the metal wall. When her bare feet made contact with the wall, a wave of happiness and excitement washed over Toph as she felt a good half of the ship, and from what she felt, it was huge! A lot bigger than the Fire Nation ship they had stolen a month back, that was for sure. Toph could also feel two guards standing outside her door.

No surprise there, but she also felt someone else, quickly moving towards the two guards.

As she rammed into the wall again, she felt the figure move again, much quicker, and that they were closer. Toph initially thought she was "feeling things" because it had been awhile that she relied on her feet.

The loud noises and scuffling outside her door caught her off guard. She now was going to swing back against the wall, hoping to take some of the metal with her feet this time to cut the rope on her hands.

"Where is she?!"

Toph's eyes shot open, all her other senses coming to a halt, unlike her body. The violent swinging she was doing had put a strain on the rope, and her sudden stop put too much of a strain, causing it to snap. This of course did not registered with Toph till she smashed against the wall and slide down on the metal ground like a rock thrown into deep water.

Brought back to the current situation, she felt the floor with a good pound from her still bound hands. Outside the door were four figures. One was lying unconscious on the ground; the other was backed against a way. Another figure was pointing something sharp at the other's face, shouting menacingly at him.

Toph felt a pang of happiness flood over her as she stood up, a happy smile stretching across her face as her sightless eyes showed bold excitement. She recognized the voice!

"Sokka! That you?" she called. There was a momentary pause, then a loud thud and Toph heard the door being unlocked.

"Toph!" came the same voice again as the door opened. Toph tapped the metal floor excitedly again, and heard the door fling open. Running in came two pairs of familiar feet. "Toph!" came the exclamation again as she felt a pair of arms wrap her up in a hug, followed closely by another.

It was Sokka and Suki!

Toph felt a small lump of happiness soar all the way up to her throat, preventing any speech. She was so shocked and yet so happy to speak. She just embraced Sokka and Suki's comforting arms.

Toph could not remember the last time she was this happy.

She felt a wave of emotions run over her as Sokka cut the rope binding her arms and feet with his sword. Once her hands were free she grabbed him in a spine-breaking hug. Even though she had been gone for about a month or so, it felt like she hadn't seen this clown for years. Her mind going into overdrive, she almost failed to notice the flush on her face burning redder as Sokka wrapped his arms around her, releasing a huge sigh of relief.

She rubbed her left hand up and down his back, feeling the armor padded on him. Judging by the fur, it was Water Tribe armor. She felt Sokka begin to break away from the hug, but she refused to let go. She didn't know why, but a part of her demanded her arms to remain wrapped around him. Grinning ear to ear, she gladly obliged.

"Toph are you alright?" Sokka suddenly asked in his serious tone. Toph did not notice though. Part of her was wondering why it was all of a sudden hard to let go of Sokka.

"Toph, your hands..." The feminine voice caught Toph by surprise, and it soon turned to horror as she remembered Suki was here all along.

Slowly backing away from Sokka, she kept her head down and laid her hands on her lap, mostly trying to hide the flush painted across her cheeks. She was hugging and rubbing Sokka's back, right in front of his girlfriend! Toph felt more embarrassed than anything, wondering why she resorted to _that show of affection-_especially in front of the same girl who was actually in a relationship with Sokka. She must have overreacted, Toph convinced herself. How would Suki and Sokka react? She wished she could actually see their expressions, could read their faces like she read movements from the ground.

During the prolonged silence, Toph felt a pair of hands softly grab onto hers. She took in a sharp breath of surprise and the hands quickly let go. Toph silently cursed herself for gasping like that, but then quickly cursed Sokka for grabbing her arms like that, for her blush was still fuming over her face.

"Toph, you sure you're okay?" Sokka asked. When Toph didn't reply he put his arms around on her shoulders. "Say something, anything," Sokka pleaded to her.

Toph slowly rubbed her hands over her face, and looked up in the direction of Sokka and Suki. With embarrassment, and many emotions rushing over a confused, tired and recently kidnapped Toph, she could only do one thing to show Sokka that she was okay.

She slowly pushed his arms off her shoulders with her hands, and punched him in the shoulder.

Hard.

"Ow! What was that for?" Sokka asked as he rubbed his shoulder. Toph shrugged as she stood up, rubbing her rope-burned wrists. She felt herself regaining her composure as she stood before the two.

"Thanks for the rescue, but I was just about to bust out," Toph said as she crossed her arms over her shoulder, a smirk running across her face. She heard Sokka moan about his shoulder as he too stood up, with Suki standing behind him. "You sound like you've kept some of your manliness too. I'm proud of you," she sarcastically said, not missing a beat. She heard Suki giggle as Sokka grumbled, brushing off his pants.

_No hard feelings from Suki I guess,_ she thought. Toph too even grinned as she felt herself becoming the smart-aleck again.

Sokka had one month of sarcastic and merciless burns awaiting him. Toph wasn't going to waste any time breaking the warrior down again.

"Looks like she is just fine Sokka." Suki smirked as she crossed her arms. Toph managed to smile to the other warrior, but she felt a slight pain when she heard her talk. That was weird, where did that pang in her chest of...Toph didn't even know what emotion to call it...come from? Suki was her friend too, who was dating Sokka, also her friend. But that strange feeling surfaced again. She shook her head; she could worry about that later. Now, she had bigger fish to fry. Or in this case, throw in a volcano and disintegrate.

"You guys ready to bring down this ship?" Toph suddenly asked as she cracked her knuckles; determination found its way back into her voice. Boy did that feel good. She felt Sokka bend over and pick up his sword.

"I'll explain on the way. Toph, can you lead us to the control center for this ship?" Toph grinned and nodded her head toward Sokka as she walked in-between them, slightly moving them aside, separating them to make room for herself instead.

"Just try to keep up, Captain Boomerang," she teased as she rose her right foot up and slammed it on the floor.

* * *

Mao's eyes widened with astonishment as he saw the Avatar go down.

Did Ozai just end it?

The only real threat to the Fire Nation? A smirk grew across his face as he grabbed a telescope from the captain standing to his left and looked back toward the sight of the battle with glee.

After a bit of searching, he found the little spick of the Fire Lord, shooting large quantities of fire in perfect, deadly form at the Avatar, who has retreated into an Earth ball. Mao smiled devilishly at the sight.

Their nation was great; nothing could stop them.

Not even the Avatar.

As he watched the unfolding battle, he had to motion off another hand on his shoulder, a soldier trying to get his attention over some communications error. This was the first time that they were using these air ships outside of the Fire Nation, of course there were going to be some issues. He continued to watch the Fire Lord, oblivious to anything around him.

"General Mao!" a loud shrike came from behind him. Annoyed, Mao turned around, but before he could yell at the soldier, his face was drained of all color. The 11 ships to their left were either gone, or slowly falling towards the ground, flames shooting out of the top of them.

"What in the….." Mao was knocked to the ground as the ship gave a violent lurch and an ear-piercing screech of metal scraping against metal assaulted his ear drums. He could feel the ship starting to glide towards the ground. Whatever happened, it wasn't good.

He quickly got up to see one of their own ships soaring in front of them and heading to the right. Disbelief was written all over his face. He snapped his head to the men behind him as they got up.

"What happened?! What is wrong with that ship?!" he yelled at his men, veins popping.

"Sir! It has been acting strange for a while now; I think it might have fallen into enemy hands," he said as his hand slightly shook while Mao stared down the masked soldier. He felt his eyebrow twitch as he contemplated whether to kill the man where he stood.

"What enemy? There is no way the Earth Kingdom could have gotten in our ships!" Mao suddenly paused, his face morphing quickly from angry to worry. He took his telescope again and looked through it at the ship that just ran into them. After peering around it, he saw someone hanging from the side of the stands. His eyes widened in shock, dropping the telescope in utter disbelief.

It was Bei Fong!

That explained it. He felt his anger beginning to over flow as he pushed the soldier out of his way as he stormed to the exit.

"Sir, where are you going?" asked another soldier. Mao did not even look back.

"Going to kill the saboteurs," he hissed as he slammed the door behind him.

* * *

Toph suddenly felt Sokka let go of her hand.

This was it.

She was going to fall to her death.

Toph cried out as she felt the wind rush past her but she was quickly met by the metal of another airship. She started to get up as she heard a thud and a cry of pain right next to her. Sokka was lying on the ground in pain, holding his left ankle.

Toph did not know what had just happened. At one moment they were clinging to each over, convinced that this was the end. Now they were standing on top of one of the airships as if nothing happened. Besides Sokka's potential broken leg.

"How did that happen? Did boomerang come back?" Toph asked, not sure how to ask the question. She heard Sokka gasp with excitement.

"No, Suki did!" Sokka exclaimed. Toph could feel him holding his ankle, and she suddenly focused on him.

"What about you?" she asked Sokka as he struggled to adjust himself so he would not slide off the airship.

"I don't know," he grunted as he moved over. "I think I sprained my ankle," he concluded as he lay back down, letting his left leg go limp.

Upon hearing Sokka wasn't too banged up, Toph let out a small sigh and smiled, letting the wind hit her in the face. She was free, and they had taken out the entire fleet. She snickered at the thought of Mao crashing into the ocean, going for a swim with all the other Firebenders they sent in the water.

"Toph! Sokka! To your right!" Toph heard the desperate shout from Suki and almost immediately after, a gasp from Sokka.

"Toph..."

Sokka did not have time to finish, because Toph bent a large metal column up from the ship underneath their feet, shielding Sokka and herself as she felt a sudden wave of heat wash over them. The roaring sound of fire blared all around her as she felt two feet land in front of her on the airship, shifting into a stance she knew all too well as a Firebender.

"Now you've done it Bei Fong! I'm going to send you back to your parents as a black, lifeless crisp!" Toph recognized the voice immediately as Mao's. She smiled to herself as she went into her fighting stance.

She remained unfazed as she covered Sokka with more metal, shielding him from the fight, much to his surprise and dislike.

Ignoring Sokka's frantic and surprised voice, she walked up to the metal wall she bent and leaned her whole body into it. As she felt metal touch her body, she grabbed it with her hands and encased it around herself like she did while storming the ship.

"Bring it on! I'll take you down with the rest of your men!" With that, Toph tore a chunk of metal off the ship and sent it flying towards Mao. Almost immediately, Toph felt a blast of heat disintegrate the object and wash over herself.

Feeling her metal armor heat up, she planted her feet together, lifted her hands in the air, and pulled back, peeling the metal of the ship up, easier than peeling a banana. This absorbed the fire blasts better.

Toph took a deep breath and envisioned the metal pipes she just exposed. She quickly stepped forward with her left foot, and thrust both of her arms forward. She heard the ripping and tearing of metal as it flew towards her target, who she felt dive out of the way and into the air, on account of her not seeing him. Using her hearing, she heard the roaring of fire move toward her left. _These guys can fly!?_

Thinking that he had her flanked, he sent a wave of flame at Toph, while simultaneously falling to the ground expelling another jet of fire from his kick. Not even thinking, Toph flew through the metal hull she peeled up, avoiding the blast and landing in a summersault on her hands and knees.

She grabbed a fist full of the airship and tore it off with one clean motion, sending it strait for Mao. She knew he had two options. Either to drop on the ground or avoid, and whatever he did she was ready for.

She was surprised to all of sudden feel Mao land right in front of her. Caught off guard, Toph rose her hands up to stop his hand from coming down on her. She felt both his hands as well as an ocean of fire engulf her.

The metal was starting to get sweltering hot. She had to take him out now or risk being burned from the inside out!

Toph felt the opening she peeled back was just big enough for her to climb into, and that she could make room crawling around there. She let out a grunt as she pushed Mao's arm up, throwing him slightly off balance.

Toph jumped through Mao, blasting her shoulder into his gut and sending the bewildered general falling on his rear. Toph quickly dove into the pipes, bending the metal so her body could fit, and she began crawling away as she felt a heat wave rush in the whole she just created; no doubt, Mao saw her dive in and hoped he could still reach her.

She could feel Mao's desperation and confusion, as he had no idea where she was. She felt his stances rapidly shift as well as heard the _whoosh_ of more fire. Toph had him confused; now she had the element of surprise on her side. She also could still feel Sokka and Suki's heartbeats. They were alive, but if she didn't end this, they might be caught in the crossfire.

She crawled around right underneath Mao's feet and quickly contemplated her options. She could feel him moving around, blasting fire at the slightest movement. She closed her sightless eyes and let out a slow breath. She envisioned him right above her, feeling the metal he stood on.

She snapped her sightless eyes open and burst through the metal, a deadly human rocket.

She felt Mao draw himself back, gasping with surprise and take a sharp inhale of breath, preparing a powerful fire blast.

She grinned; he left his right side defenseless, open to her attack.

She landed on the ground with a crouch and bending the metal she peeled up before, she thrust her arms horizontally to the left, ripping a good chunk off and sailing it into Mao.

Hearing his surprised and angry cry confirmed for Toph that she hit her target.

Now to seal the deal.

She twisted her hands left to right, folding and crushing the metal around Mao until he was covered in it, leaving his head exposed. Toph smiled as she heard him let out a frustrated scream. She pictured a look of pure hate as she walked up to him, her right arm in front of her face. She could feel his head thrashing back and forth, trying to break free from the metal encasement.

Satisfaction.

Toph felt him struggle, franticly trying to free his hands and melt the metal. She hoped he knew what it felt like to be held against his will, imprisoned, her captive now.

Her assumption was correct as she heard him spit in her direction, gasping for breath. "You bitch! You think you've won! I'll burn you alive! I'll…."

Toph never let him finished, for she drew her right arm back and punched him square in the face, knocking him out cold and giving him a large bump on his head.

Toph tore the metal from her head and stood triumphantly in front of the unconscious general. "That was for kidnapping me, you over-rated sack of Hippo cow waste!" she proclaimed as she bent the remaining metal off her body in one clean motion. She stepped around the general and bent the metal plating off of Sokka, who sprang out gasping for breath.

"Not burned?" Toph questioned as she walked up to him. There was no response, except his gasps for breath. She got annoyed quickly, seeing as Sokka was doing this just for attention, especially with Suki running towards them now. "Give it a rest k? You're not dying," Toph said.

She heard Sokka shift his weight suddenly, probably looking at her. "I couldn't breathe in there!" Sokka exclaimed as Suki helped him, cutting straight to the point. Toph couldn't believe what she just heard. She saved his life, twice in one battle, from a horrible fate, and he was complaining about not being able to breathe properly!

"But that was awesome!" he suddenly added, his voice quickly shifting to a more excited and gratified tone. Toph shook her head, a slight grin on her face.

Sokka will always be an idiot.

Her grin rapidly changed into an annoyed frown as she felt Suki help Sokka up. She wasn't going to let that little outburst go unpunished.

"Grow up you big baby. Would you rather be burnt to a crisp now?" Toph asked, crossing her arms and glaring at Sokka. "I didn't know little men could be so girly," she added, speaking to herself, teasing Sokka.

Before Sokka could reply, she heard Suki gasp, and then Sokka.

Annoyed by the fact she couldn't see something potentially important, Toph waited for one of them to tell her. As silence preluded, Toph's annoyance only grew.

"Hello! Blind Earthbender here!" she shouted, waving her hands in front of her face. "What are you guys looking at?"

"A blue light." Suki's astonished voice was Toph's answer.

She felt Sokka trying to balance on one foot, so Toph walked up to him and put his arm around her shoulder. She felt him look down at her. "Thanks," he whispered, making Toph slightly smile.

"That's got to be Aang," He said aloud to the two of them. "Let's go down and see if he's all right." He said as the two girls helped Sokka back into the airship.

* * *

**Whoop! Go Toph :D**

** Hope you enjoyed it and thank you for reading it :) **

**Stay tuned for Chapter 3. I decided to have part of Chapter 3 be the post Sozin's comet AU, but it will not take up the whole chapter, and it will not be as long as this chapter. The rest of Chapter 3 will take place 3 years later :) so don't worry. **

**Any questions, comments, or concerns, let me know :) much appreciated.**


	3. Chapter 3

**I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.**

**Here is Chapter 3! Hope you enjoy it and thank you for reading my story thus far.**

* * *

Chapter 3

Toph did not envision the end of the war like this. She had thought she would be parading around the Fire Nation with her friends, not being held captive for a month, yet only to end up helping Sokka and Suki destroy the airships before they could rain fire down on her homeland.

It was much better than she projected.

What made it special was reuniting with her friends.

The moment Aang saw Toph walk off the ship, he ran up and scooped her into a giant hug. Toph could not help but hug back and laugh as Aang air-jumped high in the air, twirling her around laughing with glee and joy. She even felt Momo land on her shoulder as Sokka limped over with Suki, embracing their sweet victory.

Even better was getting to "see" Katara again.

The moment Toph came into view, Katara nearly tackled the blind girl to the ground, hugging her as silent tears fell from her eyes, saying how sorry she was. Toph made sure to quickly stop the crying, stating that it wasn't her fault.

While she was calming Katara down, she was surprised to feel Zuko among them. Her suspicion for the prince's presence was washed away when she felt Zuko's warm body touch hers, arms wrapped around her in a hug.

"I'm sorry you had to go through all that," he said as the rest of them came in and joined in the group hug. Toph smiled as she felt all of them close in around them.

"The war is finally over! We did it!" Suki happily exclaimed, making the rest of them cheer.

Upon hearing this, a sudden surge of energy overtook Toph. She jumped up in the air, one arm stretched upward and the other pulled back.

They HAD done it.

Aang had done it.

The war was over; Ozai had been defeated.

And the next morning, Zuko became the new Fire Lord.

It had been great to reunite with her friends, and was even surprised to hear and feel The Boulder and The Hippo there as well. It turned out that they gave up fighting in Earth Rumble VI to help their kingdom once they heard the Blind Bandit did the same.

While sitting on the Hippo's back, she heard the rang of the gong, and people almost immediately began to cheer and clap. Taking in all the queues and senses, Toph gathered that Zuko was making his grand appearance.

She cheered and hollered when he stepped out.

"Please. The real hero, is the Avatar."

Toph now screamed and shouted at the top of her lungs with joy as Aang walked out to stand beside Zuko as a fully realized Avatar.

The crowd could have gone on forever, but Zuko must have raised his hand for silence, because the excessive cheering slowly died down.

""Today this war is finally over!" Zuko declared, which was followed by more cheering.

"I promised my uncle that I would restore the honor of the Fire Nation. And I will. The road ahead of us is challenging. A hundred years of fighting has left the world scarred and divided. But with the Avatar's help we can get it back on the right path and begin a new era of love and peace."

Toph had to admit, Sparky was good at giving speeches. Nothing like his uncle's proverb-induced speeches or Katara's overextended sermons about hope.

The one he just gave inspired hope for a brighter future, one where all the nations would help rebuild a new world. She could even hear Sokka's over the top cheering too, getting ever so higher in pitch. At one point Toph thought he had turned into a girl. It only made her laugh more. All they had worked, fought, and sacrificed had not been in vain. She again added her voice to the chorus of cheers and claps as the new Fire Lord and Avatar walked down the stairs together.

After Zuko's Coronation, they were all feasted together with Zuko and Mai. He must have been in a good mood, because he was willing to wait two whole minutes until he ordered Toph, the Duke, Pipsqueak, and Sokka to stop their little food fight before it escalated into an all-out war.

In-between flinging food at Meathead and the other two, Toph was dining like a queen. Being forced to eat nothing but bread and dry chicken had grown old. She knew she should have been grateful just to get even that, but she was a growing Earthbender who couldn't survive only on those two items twice a day.

After eating their fill, Zuko talked to the five of them privately in the Fire Lord's chamber. Toph had trouble walking around on the smooth wooden floor, so she was willing to let Katara guide her around the large pillars that lined the room.

"Thank you for having us for dinner Zuko. Even if some of us can't act our age." Katara glared at Sokka who un-knowingly stared back at her and just shrugged.

"What? Toph started it."

Toph brought her arm back and socked him in the left shoulder.

Whack!

"What was that for?" he said as he rubbed his shoulder. Toph merely shrugged, casting her palms in the air.

The newly appointed Fire Lord glanced at both Sokka and Toph, hoping things wouldn't escalate. After a brief silence, he spoke to his friends with the assurance that he wouldn't be interrupted.

"I'm throwing a ball in celebration for the end of the war, although it's mostly for the nobles of the Fire Nation to meet the new Fire Lord," he said rather sheepishly, obviously a little uncomfortable meeting with some of the people who strongly supported his father. Toph could sense his uneasiness and she couldn't blame him. Ozai's followers were a bunch of sick freaks; wining them over would not be easy.

"This is Mai's idea, isn't it?" Toph simply asked, considering the tone in Zuko's voice. From what she gathered, not only did he not want to meet the Fire Nobles, he didn't want anything to do with them.

"It was mostly my uncles," Zuko said. Toph nodded her head slowly with understanding. Leave it to Pops to try and settle things with tea and Pi Sho. "Although Mai helped convince me that it would be better to get this over and done with. Most of the nobles, including her father, strongly supported my father's visions for the world," Zuko explained.

Toph felt a little amused with the fact that Zuko's girlfriend had a father who shared Ozai's crazy ambitions. That is going to be an interesting relationship.

"Don't worry Zuko. Once they see all the good you can do for the country, they will surely follow you," Aang said with a cheery voice.

"And don't you have supporters who could, you know, support them in making their decision to accept you as Fire Lord?" Katara asked.

Toph heard Zuko sigh; one of those _it's not that simple _sighs.

"It's not that simple," Zuko admitted. "Things are pretty complicated."

_Called it._ Toph smiled to herself. Out of all of them, Zuko was the easiest to read. She could pick him apart piece by piece without being on solid earth. She could only speculate what she might discover IF they were on solid ground. She quickly grinned at the thought of black mailing Sparky.

"A lot of the military has already voiced their dissatisfaction over the war. My father appointed men who not only were loyal to him, but shared his vision as his generals," he explained. Toph rolled her sightless eyes. Of course this was going to be a big problem, and experience with nobles told her that this would be a difficult one to solve.

Toph considered there to be two kinds of nobles in the world: one who would throw a hissy fit like a little girl when they didn't get their way, or those who did everything they could to make those around them suffer.

She was willing to bet the Fire Nation Nobles would have a good douse of both. A slight pang of guilt came over Toph as she felt a little sorry for Zuko. It wasn't even his first day on the job and he had to begin digging through the mess his father had left behind.

"So why not just banish them? Force them to leave and never come back," Sokka casually suggested. Toph was yet once again amazed at how Sokka could be so smart, yet so incredibly stupid at the same time.

"It's not that simple Sokka!" Zuko exclaimed, aggravation clouding his voice. He took a deep breath, regaining his composure. "I'm not my father. I want to give them a second chance, show them that there is still a place for them here, if they are willing to change," he clarified.

Toph was impressed with Sparky. He sounded nothing like the crazy prince Aang, Sokka, and Katara made him out to be. He sounded like a smaller, more hormonally teenage angst version of Iroh.

"That sounds like a great plan." Toph heard Aang stating his approval. Her ears also detected Zuko turning part of his body toward Aang.

"It's good to have the Avatar's approval." A hint of humor trailed off Zuko's tongue.

"Although, I would be honored to have you attend the ball as my honored guests." Zuko's request caught Toph, and everyone else by surprise, judging from the sudden sharp breaths and gasps she heard. All for except Aang, who seemed to have expected this, for his breathing remained calm.

"We would be honored," Aang said as he bowed. They all followed suit, Toph getting the drift when Katara's elbow graced her left shoulder.

That was where the formalities ended, thanks to Katara and Suki who immediately exploded into feminine worrywarts.

"A ball! You mean a royal ball! I don't have a dress!" exclaimed Katara.

"I've never been to a ball before! All we had back home was Avatar Kyoshi's birthday, and the founding of Kyoshi island." Suki's equally panicked voice was heard too.

Toph laughed at the irony. Two of the girliest girls in their group were worrying about some royal ball, which for them was going to be no big deal really. While she was the only one among them not complaining, not worrying, and not really even that excited about it to be honest. To Toph, it just meant more rules to follow, more people expecting you to play a part instead of being yourself. That has been one of the things bugging Toph for a while now that the war was over. Sure, she was just as happy as the next Earthbender the war was over, but the fact that they had to act civilized and follow rules and be told what to do made her sick.

"Oh don't worry you big babies. These parties are a piece of cake," she said as she turned towards Suki. "I managed to teach Sugar Queen here how to act civilized, and I'm pretty sure you're manageable too," Toph told the stuttering and panic-stricken warrior while gesturing her thumb in Katara's direction.

"Me and Aang went to one two. We can show you how it's done," Sokka added with his manly pride radiating from his body.

Toph cringed at the thought of Sokka showing Suki how to act at a ball. As funny as that would be, she couldn't allow that, not at something as important as this. Any other ball or party Toph would have encouraged it.

"Not so fast there Meathead. You and Twinkles barely pasted for servers last time," she bluntly specified. "Let me handle Fan girl and Sweetness here. I'd suggest Zuko teaching you some civilized manners," she said as she pointed a thumb at herself, giving a big smile aimed at Zuko.

"I have manners! I'm civilized!" Sokka interjected in a high-pitched voice, which made Toph and Katara both laugh.

"Yeah, you clearly have manners, as shown during dinner," his now calmer sister teased, making Aang chuckle a bit too.

"She's got a point Sokka." Suki added, and then Toph heard the wet sound of a quick kiss making her cringe, and clench her fists together.

_They even mooch over each other in front of us. Isn't there a time she isn't macking on Sokka?!_ Toph's mind soon shifted focus, confused as to why she reacted that way...again.

"I'll have the royal tailors come by and prepare the dresses for you ladies, as well as you two," Toph heard Zuko say while her mind crept back to the kiss she heard, and her reaction to it.

"Thanks Zuko, but I don't need anything fancy. I'll just wear my Air Nomad robes," the young avatar said. Zuko did not say anything in response, so Toph assumed that he nodded.

"The ball is tomorrow night, and it will be hosted outside in the royal gardens." There was a brief pause as Zuko turned to face Aang. "Meet me in my chamber before the ball starts. Some of the nobles wish to meet the Avatar," Zuko said, now in his newly acquired formal voice. Twinkles admitted a sigh, clearly showing that he was not going to enjoy this as much as the rest of them would.

"Okay. Again, thank you Fire Lord Zuko," Aang said in a lighter tone.

"No, thank you," Zuko formally replied.

Toph, much like the rest of them felt the conclusion coming, so they decided to head back to their rooms. Toph let Katara led her back to the stone covered hallway, where Toph told her she could handle the rest on her own.

As Toph walked back to her room, she felt Katara go back towards the chamber, waiting for Aang while Sokka and Suki walked down a separate hallway, leading towards the palace gardens.

There was that feeling again.

The pang became more noticeable than yesterday on the airship. She felt it in her stomach and felt it slowly cutting up through her chest like rising shards of glass. Why was she felt something so intense yet had no idea where it was coming from?

While processing her emotions, she felt Suki's heart skip a few beats as well as Sokka's. She closed her eyes, trying to block out the feeling of what was undoubtedly another kiss. She focused solely on the direction she walked.

_Get a grip Toph. What has gotten over you!_ She mentally yelled at herself as she opened the door to her room, turning in for the night.

* * *

"OW!" Toph gritted her teeth together as she felt the discomforting tug as the dreaded brush found another snarl in her hair. She was sitting in a comfortable chair wearing a red Fire Nation robe, getting her hair washed and combed in a pool while she had her feet and nails done, at Katara and Suki's request. Sleep nearly found her until the snarl yanked her from her beloved nap.

Toph moaned, which quickly turned into a yawn. She had woken up 3 times the night before, hearing the pounding of feet and feeling the hands grab hold of her. A swift motion of fear and anger swept over her as she remembered waking up, the rushed footsteps echoing around her room suddenly halting, as if they were spooked that she had suddenly woken up.

Toph quickly drew that memory out of her mind as she focused on the raging pain from her scalp as her twisted hair halted another comb's graceful glides down her remarkably long black hair. To make the whole thing worse, Katara had shown up at the best possible time to use her motherly mode, but instead ended up running from the Earthbender in dreaded fear.

While trying to coax Toph out of bed, Katara resorted to one of her more diabolical methods she used on her brother: bending a stream of water across any exposed part of the sleeper's body. The cold water on Toph's comfortable shoulder blades made her jerk upright; sending her into the water Katara was bending, drenching Toph in freezing water.

Needless to say, Toph was still mad at Katara for pulling that stunt on her.

She let out a relaxing sigh and began to make herself comfortable. At least they stopped touching her feet. Although she was still irritated at the naked feeling they had, spotless and free from her healthy coating of earth.

The spirits must have been proudof her showing this much restraint at the scrubbing, bubbles, and un-natural cleanliness that was being bestowed upon her beloved feet. It felt like her identity was being washed away and thrown out the window. After about 10 minutes, they finished Toph's hands and feet, and began helping dig, clean, and straighten her hair while fighting through the many snarls they found.

"Just relax Toph, and it won't hurt as much," she heard Katara's relaxed, trance-like voice come somewhere from her left as Toph grunted out in pain again.

"Easy for you to sa-ow! Say," Toph said as she felt her hair being pulled against her head. "You play with your hair all the time, Fussy britches," she hissed as another brush attempted to clear another nest of hair tangled at the bottom of her hair. She heard one of the women mumble to another.

"You guys almost done?" Toph added toward the three women working on her hair.

"Oh no. You have such long and beautiful hair, we cannot let you go out there like this," one of the women said as Toph felt a brush go through her hair and into the water. Toph groaned as Katara emerged from behind the wall covered in her robe, awaiting one of the tailor's to bring her her dress.

Just as Toph braced herself for another onslaught of hair pulling, the door opened and a pair of footsteps was heard with a mixture of fabric rubbing up against fabric.

"I have your dresses, Miss Katara and Miss Bei Fong." She heard a female voice emanating right in front of her. She heard a gasp from Katara as she walked over to the dresses. Toph really did not care for looks or dresses for that matter. She would rather go in her Earth Kingdom outfit to one of these if it weren't so important. She knew it was inevitable, as Katara would be boasting about how pretty she would look for Aang.

"How does it look?" she asked as she heard Katara gasp again, this time an overly girly one. Too girly for Toph's taste. She rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out when she heard Suki's too.

"Toph, you're going to look so beautiful in your dress."

This caught Toph completely by surprise. Katara must have misunderstood her question, but she didn't feel Katara's heart rate change even in the slightest when she told Toph that.

A shade of pink rose over Toph's face as Katara's words sunk in her. Normally she would have brushed it off as another compliment, someone saying she was pretty for the sake of it. But hearing and feeling the sincerity in Katara's voice made Toph believe it slightly. For a brief instance, she wished that she would be able to see herself, really absorb her reflection, even if it was for a moment in the gorgeous dress. She quickly pushed the thoughts out of her head. She had her own way of seeing things.

"Can I feel it?" she asked as she outstretched her right hand. She heard Katara walking over to her, and she felt a soft thin fabric in her hands. Not heavy or cumbersome like the dresses her parents had forced her to endure while she lived at home. This felt as soft as the grass between her toes. Her hands grazed across what felt like sleeves, which were even lighter and softer than the overall dress.

She loved it.

However, it was a double-edged sword for her. Even though she could _feel_ beautiful, as Katara and Suki put it, she couldn't _see_ herself be beautiful. Even though she had a clear image in her head of what it looked like, she did not know what her friends would look like.

"Hold on, this is a big one." And without any time to prepare herself, Toph felt a sharp yank on her head.

"Ow! Come on! How much longer?" she whined, her old agitated self morphing back into full form.

"There, that was the last one." One of the women sighed with relief. Toph shared that same emotion as she slowly sat up, letting the water run down her hair.

"Now let's get you in your dress," Suki and Katara both said as they walked over to their friend.

* * *

Sokka gulped as he stared at himself in the did not feel right with his outfit, but he couldn't put a finger on it. The red formal tunic was a light red, with outlines of clear blue running down the slimly fit sleeves, symbolizing his heritage. The dress folded over on itself, and went down to his pelvis. The pants were a matching red with gold rows, spinning into a lion that extended down his legs.

"Must be the lions," he muttered as he glanced at the detailed stiches on his leg. A sharp chirping made him glance up to the mirror, to see Momo staring back at with his head tilted to the side, his big eyes staring right at Sokka's head. He followed Momo's eyes, which seemed to be fascinated with the back of his head.

_The wolf's tail!_ He thought to himself as he turned his head slightly to get a better look at his warrior's hairstyle.

"Momo! Why didn't you tell me this before?" he asked as he took his wolf tail out and began gathering his hair again. He was proud of his wolf tail: the symbol of a warrior for his tribe.

It was going to be a good night. Sokka felt the excitement bubble in him as he fiddled with his hair.

And why not? The war was over. He had managed to save both his girlfriend and his best friend, and now they are about to go party it up!

Sokka put his hair in the wolf tail and looked himself over once again in the mirror.

Much better. He now felt ready to go and impress the ladies.

Well, at least one in particular.

He raised an eyebrow in a confident manner while flexing his arms as he rested them on his hips, his mind working up a sweat trying to imagine what Suki was going to look like in her dress.

It was defiantly going to be a good night. Saluting to Momo, he exited his room, closed the door behind him, and headed towards the Fire Lord's chamber. He knew Aang and Zuko would be meeting with some of the other Nobles before they went out, but Aang wanted him to meet them before they entered the royal garden.

Who could blame him?

Being stuck in there with men who have tried to kill you and worshiped the guy who tried to destroy the world was a perfect way to start a ball.

Sokka felt sorry for the Aang, but he had to admit over the past year he had really grown up from the goofy kid in the iceberg when he and Katara found him in the south pool. Naturally, he'd grown like the tiny seeds into a mature, wise tree. He was old enough and prepared enough to handle anything now.

Still, Sokka didn't know what to think of his sister and the Avatar. It was obvious that those two were in love with each other, and it drove him crazy that they refused to accept it or even notice their feelings for each other. He at times often pondered how they could have been so oblivious to it, especially when it had been easy enough for him.

Not to brag or anything, but he could not deny the sudden rush he received after Suki had kissed them the first time they had met, or while they traveled through the serpents pass. The memories paved a dreamy smile across Sokka's face as he rounded the corridor leading to the Fire Lord's chamber, not noticing the loud shouting until he came closer.

"I will not stand for this!" Sokka was abruptly yanked back into reality as a Fire Nation Admiral marched past him, head up in the air and hands behind his back in his sleeves. He quickly shifted his attention to the entrance to see Aang eagerly walking towards him, followed by Zuko who was pinching the bridge of his nose.

"That bad?" Sokka asked, judging the downtrodden look on Aang's face. The young Avatar looked at Sokka with a slightly worn grin.

"You have no idea," Zuko's impatience was overflowing as they followed the Fire Lord back through a corridor, leading to the Royal gardens. Music and voices could be heard from the garden as Sokka's excitement rose, but also a wave of nervous anticipation. He felt himself begin to sweat.

Zuko stopped at a door, and looked back at the two younger boys.

"It will only go smoother from here," he said as he smiled towards Aang, who smiled back at Zuko. Seeing his younger friend feeling slightly better, Sokka turned back towards the door, only to be met with Zuko staring at him now.

"Try to remember what I told you," he bluntly stated, referring to their little lesson while the tailors were sizing them up that morning. Sokka snorted and rolled his eyes. He did not think that Zuko would take Toph's suggestion seriously.

Before he could even think of bracing himself, Zuko pushed the doors open and stepped out into the gardens. Sokka's jaw dropped slightly as he observed the gardens, if you could call it a garden now.

What was once a walkway that led to one portion of the palace was now covered in a bright red silk rung, along with the rest of the garden floor. Rope was attached from one wing to another across the garden like Hollywood draping, hanging on to paper lanterns that lit the ball area. On the other side from where they stood, a group of musicians were playing bubbly music. To their left were tables displaying the Fire Nation's best food, as well as some drinks. Tables were placed a on the same side as the buffet tables and up to the walk way. The right side of the garden was cleared for a dancing area. A few couples were dancing to the music in perfect harmony, their bodies fitting together like puzzle pieces glowed together. The moon and stairs glistened in the cloudless, comfortable summer night.

Having been to a ball before, Sokka assumed this would be a piece of cake.

He did not consider the possibility that everyone at the ball would stop and stare at them as they walked through the door. He felt his body tighten up, and his heart rate begin to climb.

_Why body? _He fidgeted as he met a couple of eyes staring back at him.

Zuko raised his hand, signaling to the guests to carry on as they were. Sokka's nerves regained control once everyone reverted their attention back to the party.

Sokka gulped his dry mouth and glanced over at his other two friends. He could understand Zuko's calm stature; he was used to this life style. What he couldn't fathomwas Aang's calm domineer. He was waving slightly to a couple of nobles from the dance floor. If anything, he seemed slightly uncomfortable from the attention, but other than that, he seemed rather excited.

"Perfect timing there, Fire Lord." A sly voice chimed from behind them. Sokka looked back, and snapped his whole body around, mouth gaping at what he saw standing before them.

In front of them stood the girls, so stunning he thought he was in a dream. Sokka's eyes darted immediately to his girlfriend, who was dressed in a red Kimono with white flower pebbles woven in the sleeves. The dress fit over her thin frame perfectly, showing off her fit and attractive body. She kept her short hair down, which went well with the dress. Sokka immediately blushed as his eyes took every vivid detail of Suki in her dress.

Mai was wearing her formal Fire Lady dress, almost identical to Zuko's formal wear. The front of her Kimono was a symbol of the Fire Nation, outlined in gold. Her hair had been left alone, as she wasn't sporting the Fire Lady head piece.

His eyes caught site of his sister as she embraced Aang in a tight hug. She was wearing a black kimono that had blue flowers running up it on vines. In the center of the kimono was a detailed stich of the moon, with stars stitched around her midriff. Her hair was pulled into two braids around her head that formed into a half ponytail. No hair loopies for her tonight.

He was impressed with the tailor's work, for the dresses were perfect on all of them. He looked back at his girlfriend who was now walking towards him, a cute smile stretched across her face, tinted with a slight shade of pink.

"What do you think?" Suki asked as she gave him a hug. Sokka felt like he died and went to heaven.

That dress did fit her beautifully.

"You look beautiful," he answered as gave her a quick kiss. Just as he was parting away, a flash of green caught his eye. He looked past Suki, and dropped his jaw in utter surprise.

It was Toph! At least, he thought it was Toph. The eyes were still milky white, skin still pale. Her hair was, however in a different state. It was pulled into a twisted braid atop her head. Each strand was wrapped into the next to form a spiraled, honeycomb-like braid, and her bangs were slightly curled around her face. Simple elegance.

Her Kimono matched her perfectly, a slim fit lime green kimono that covered her feet, and hugged her petite body perfectly. On her hips and moving to her chest was a tree branch with bright pink and white flowers on it. In between both of those was a golden flying boar. On the collar of her kimono were three polished red gems, shinning and giving off their own sleek glow.

She looked so feminine, like a girl, a really pretty girl. She was stunning, beautiful, gorgeous, like an undiscovered goddess hiding beneath layers of earth. Now, she was uprooted, a blossoming tree for all to see and enjoy.

Sokka suddenly felt his face begin to burn as his own blush began to form, at a loss of words as a lump formed around his throat.

"Doesn't she look beautiful?" Suki asked as she wrapped her arm around Sokka. Toph slightly grinned, a hint of pink appearing on her checks. Sokka had seen many bizarre things that past year, but none as strange as Toph in a fancy dress, blushing at being called beautiful.

When he did not say anything, Suki jabbed him in the side with her elbow, causing him to yelp.

"Uhhh yeah! Toph, you look….. Good! Like a girl!" he managed to stutter as he tried to straighten his face. Toph frowned, folding her arms over her chest, her milky eyes burning holes through Sokka.

"You look ridiculous in that outfit," Toph tightly stated. Sokka looked over himself, completely forgetting about his ill-flavored complement to his friend. "And what's wrong with that? I'm a girl remember; I can get dressed up all fancy too ya know." Her temper was beginning to rise and everyone else could feel it.

All besides Sokka who was franticly checking himself over.

"Ummm Sokka, let's dance," Suki cut through the tense atmosphere and dragged her boyfriend over to the dance floor.

"Do I really look ridiculous?" Sokka's worried voice was heard from the rest of the group as they watched the two noisy over to the dance floor.

Suki stopped and spun around, grabbing Sokka's left arm and putting her left arm on Sokka's hip, giving him a kiss on the lips.

"Shut up and just dance," she purred as they began to sway with the music. Sokka instantly forgot about his self-image and began to move in unison with Suki.

* * *

Sokka's instincts were right; the ball was a blast.

He and Suki spent most of their time on the dance floor, enjoying each other as their bodies swayed with the music, increasing speed for songs with a higher beat to them, and slowing down for the songs of a more intimate nature. The dance floor became more crowded as the night wore on.

It however attracted a large crowd when Zuko and Aang began to dance.

Each of them was sharing a dance with their dates, but soon the music changed into a traditional Fire Nation beat that was created hundreds of years ago. Before anyone knew what was happening, Aang sprang into the middle of the dance floor and began dancing "traditional Fire Nation dances."

"And this one is called the Phoenix Flight," Aang explained as he squatted low to the ground and began dancing in the circle. At first, the nobles were surprised and confused at what they saw but soon they were clapping and cheering on the Avatar. Sokka and Suki had stopped dancing to watch Aang's performance with Katara. Suddenly, Sokka felt his stomach growl, reminding him of the decadent food that sat on the other side of the gardens.

"I'm going to go get something to eat. Want anything?" he asked Suki. She shook her head, too amazed at Aang's flips and summersaults to break her eye contact with the Avatar. Sokka grinned and walked through the crowd towards the buffet tables.

As Sokka walked toward the table of food, he saw Toph leaning against one of the pillars near the buffet table, a Fire Nation boy talking to her, oblivious to the fact that she was ignoring him.

Sokka still could not imagine how good she looked in that dress, even if it was complete un-Toph like. He hoped that she was having fun and didn't harbor any ill feelings from his comment before.

As if she could read minds, Toph leaned forward and began to walk towards Sokka. He gulped when he saw her irritated expression, expecting the sharp ring of insults or rocks to start flying any moment.

"How's the dance Meathead?" she asked nonchalantly, picking her teeth with her fingers. He nearly missed the question, for he found himself immersed in how she looked, but quickly snapped out of it as he grabbed a small bowl.

"Good. Me and Suki are having a blast," he said with a smile. Toph heaved slightly and sighed, making Sokka frown slightly. "How about you?" he asked back as he reached out to pick up a chicken leg. _Why wasn't Toph dancing?_ He wondered as he reached out for some food.

"Be careful what you eat. Some of that stuff is blazing hot," Toph said as she felt Sokka shift to grab some wings. He abruptly stopped and eyed the piece of meat he was about to pick up. Not only was he more cautions, he was slightly annoyed Toph ignored his question.

"You dance with any of those guys who you've been talking to?" Sokka asked, picking up a safe-looking meat cake. Toph snorted and leaned against the table.

"Yeah right. They do all the talking, thinking that I give a mudslide what they have to say," she said as she flicked some food she picked from her teeth.

She wasn't having a good time at all. Sokka wondered if she was even trying to...

"I'm running on little sleep thanks to your sister, got my feet poked and scrubbed unhealthily clean, and oh, it was also implied that I'm not a girl," she finished, glaring at him.

"Who would….." Sokka stopped mid-sentence, realizing she was talking about him. "Sorry." He hung his head in Toph's direction.

"Can't argue with stupid," she simply said, followed by an obnoxious slurping noise.

Sokka snapped his head up, glaring at the Earthbender as she slurped her drink. He should have seen that coming, but it still annoyed him that she felt the need to rub it in his face.

As he hauled himself up, he felt and heard the beat of drums. He looked over to the dance floor, and saw people partnering up as a flute starting singing it's harmonic tunes throughout the garden.

He suddenly had an urge to dance.

With Toph.

He had no idea where or how he came by it, yet it felt like the right thing to do. He knew she would love this song, and she looked way too pretty not to be shown off on the dance floor. So he acted by instinct. He involuntarily grabbed Toph's right hand and began walking toward the dance floor. He abruptly stopped when Toph planted her heals to the floor.

"Sokka, what are you doing?" she asked, her voice slightly annoyed and...nervous? Sokka looked back, slightly taken aback from her tone. He hid his doubts behind a large smile.

"Let's go dance," he suggested as he began dragging her towards the dance floor again, but she refused to move.

"I don't dance," she quickly said as she tried to move her hand out of his gentle grip. Sokka ignored her statement and continued to drag her, despite her heels digging into the rug and now ground.

"Come on party pooper!" he said as he took her other hand. Her feet finally began to walk in stride with Sokka's, allowing him to lead her towards the dance floor. He was relieved she let him so easily without a fight, or attempts to maim him.

Once on the dance floor, he turned to face Toph, only to find her staring down at the floor, hiding her face. Guilt swept over Sokka as he realized he had forced Toph into something she did not want to do. He let go of her hands and sighed.

"I'm sorry Toph. I just figured you'd want to….." he was interrupted midsentence as Toph grabbed his hand and put her other arm on his shoulder. As a surprised blush swept his face, he looked down and saw Toph's firm face staring back at his.

Was that, pink he saw on her face? He had to blink several times, thinking it was a trick from the lighting. Before he could get a clearer look, her head was level to his chest.

"You step on my feet, I'll Earthbend you out of the palace from here," she warned as she began to sway to the left. Sokka followed suit, careful to not step on Toph's feet. The soft flute carried a sweet, intimate atmosphere over the dance floor, while the drum would occasionally rumble out, signifying the beat of the heart.

Despite Toph having her hands washed, Sokka could still feel the earth engraved in her palms, always part of her, as his hand softly held on to hers. Her small frame held in his other hand, radiating with immense power, like a fault line ready to snap at any moment.

As Sokka looked down at Toph, he could see the corner of her mouth stretch upward. He suddenly found himself smiling too; he liked Toph's smile, and he had missed it. She was finally having fun, and her smile only grew. A sudden warm sensation intensified through Sokka's face at the thought of Toph's face when it smiled.

Where did that come from? He knew he missed Toph and her smile, but that blush was usually for when he saw Suki's smile.

For when he saw the smile from the girl he loved.

A loud boom from the drum made him slightly jump, bringing him back to reality. Was the song over?

Disappointment was fighting its way through Sokka as he realized that the song was over, yet Toph wasn't letting go. Just as he was about to inform her the song was over, he heard the flute start again and the drum beating more regularly. The song was still going on, but now at a faster rate.

"Try and keep up Fancy Feet," she suddenly said as she took her arm that was on his shoulder and pushed him back, keeping her other hand locked on his. As he flew back, the drums began to pick up speed.

Catching his grove, Sokka planted his feet in the ground and jumped back at Toph. His free hand found hers as he landed in front of her, bringing both of their arms up above their heads. Just as he did that, Toph lunged back herself, repeating the same motion Sokka just did. As she came back, Sokka sided stepped to the left, leading Toph behind him with his right arm. Once she was nearly behind him, he turned around and they repeated their dance faster than before.

The flute and drum rang out together in harmony, so too did the Water Tribe Warrior and the Earthbender. Their movements matched each other's perfectly; they swayed gracefully, insync with the music and each other.

In natural harmony, water crashing into the earthy cliffs with passion for one another. The earth blindly taking in the water and softly pushing it back out to sea, so it could come back for more. Not seeing when or where it would come back, but always knowing before it does, feeling the currents before they even realized their path. The water pushing and pulling itself into the earth, it's graceful yet powerful movements coating the earth with it's cool, life bearing freedom.

Everything became a blur for Sokka as he and Toph exchanged dance moves with each other. This felt so natural for Sokka, so right.

Yet he could not explain it. Nor did he want to. He was too busy enjoying the sudden rush as he jumped back, feeling Toph gripping his hand so as not to slip from each other, to never let the waves leave the shores of the earth again. He could feel the sweat on both of their palms as they swiftly changed dance positions.

Compassion?

Friendship?

Trust?

Sincerity?

All of those, yet none of those. He felt all of these, yet none of these was what he was feeling as he gracefully twirled Toph around again. Maybe it was because his mind wasn't there, it wasn't wondering. He just simply lived in the moment, carefree and not analyzing the feelings.

It was living.

Suddenly the drums abruptly stopped, making Toph and Sokka almost halt in their tracks. He had just jumped forward, both hands connected parallel to their shoulders. They both were breathing heavy, sweat outlining the top of their foreheads.

And they both had smiles on their faces.

Until the clapping started.

At first Sokka assumed it was for the performance of the band, but as he looked around the crowd, he noticed they were all staring at him and Toph. They had been watching them the whole time! Sokka thought he would have felt embarrassed, but he wasn't. He was happy. Disappointed that the song was over, but happy nonetheless.

Toph on the other hand lowered her face and quickly walked through the crowd, leaving a surprised and confused Sokka alone on the dance floor. "Toph?" he called behind her, but all he heard were her footsteps, like mini earthquakes fleeing the ocean of his arms.

* * *

Toph avoided Sokka for the rest of the evening. She had so many emotions and thoughts running rampant through her mind she figured she'd be brain dead within a few hours.

How could she do that to Sokka? Leaving him on the dance floor without a thank you, not even a swift punch on the arm! She was angry at herself for that, heck she was angry at herself for caving in and letting Meathead dance with her. The majority of her was saying to just run, and let him go eat his meat. The smaller voice inside her head however, told her to go for it.

That small voice carried a lot of weight behind it, a pebble starting a landslide.

She knew she would enjoy the dance, but she didn't think she would enjoy it THAT much. Sokka could definitely dance, as goofy and dimwitted as he could be. No amount of evidence was needed to convince Toph that. What she couldn't convince herself was to what she was feeling. She refused to acknowledge that little voice in the back of her mind while her finger's fit with Sokka's during the dance, or when she twirled him around and jumped close to him, feeling the warmth and energy radiating off him.

She kept that feeling at bay.

Until she felt Suki.

For once, she was thankful she couldn't see, for she did not want to see the expression on the warrior's face. Her heart rate had tripled when right after the dance, while she and Sokka were still in their dance position, the whole crowd went silent...watching them as if they were a spectacle.

When Suki reunited with Sokka and began dancing while Toph ran off, she couldn't help herself from releasing the landslide of emotion. Thinking of them dancing again, that slight irritable pain came back, but this time Toph had a name for it.

Jealousy.

The moment she admitted that, her emotional dam broke, releasing what she had kept at bay sense she met Sokka.

She liked Sokka.

No, she REALLY liked Sokka.

She found him annoying, irritating and absolutely brain-dead, but somehow those qualities did not matter that much. She was attracted to him the moment she felt what was under all dimwitted flesh and bone.

Heart.

Bravery.

Determination.

Just to name a few of his notable traits.

Toph chuckled as she put her hands behind her head, against her pillow. She was now back in her room, trying to sleep, but has so far been unsuccessful.

_Who am I kidding? _She thought as a brief sting of sadness swept over her. She was the world's most powerful Earthbender. She threatened and made fun of Sokka on a daily basis. How could he feel the same way for her? And besides…..

Suki beat her to him.

She was friends with both of them, and would much rather be so than take the chance of ruining their friendship over something silly like this.

Yet, that small voice told Toph her feelings were not silly at all. And she was listening to it.

She closed her eyes tightly and put her arm over her eyes.

"Way to go Toph," she mumbled to herself. She moved her arm away, revealing a hurt face. She was willing to repress these feelings for the sake of her friendship with Sokka. As long as he was happy, she would be happy.

She hoped she could eventually convince herself of that.

But not tonight.

Tonight, she was thankful that at least she had that unforgettable dance.

Right there, Toph decided that she wanted to return home to Gaoling. Once they were done with their trip to Ba Sing Sa, she would have Aang bring her home.

_Home. That would take some time getting used to,_ Toph thought to herself as she tried once again to fall asleep.

* * *

**3 years later**

"Toph!" Toph groaned as she shifted in her chair, still not ready to venture outside.

Her mother had been harping her non-stop about getting ready for her 16th birthday, making sure she acted approachable and lady-like. Toph had to remind her and her father about a thousand times she knew how to act like a lady, if she wanted to.

If only it wasn't her 16th birthday, then things might have been more durable to handle.

At age 16, Earth Kingdom women could be approached by suitors and boys could ask the young women for their hand in marriage on her 18th birthday. However, in Toph's situation, her marriage would likely come down to a business deal between her father and some other rich family's son. She had boys come up to her, trying to impress her saying how they would take care of her, help her, protect her as though she was a fragile dove instead of a master Earthbender... guys tried all the stuff that drove her crazy.

She thought that once returning home, her parents would at least accept her for who she was. And they did, for a sorts. They gave her her freedom, but that did not stop her father from sending the house guards with her whenever she left her home to practice her Earth and Metalbending, or when she went to go train Earthbending students at Master Yu's old academy.

"Toph!" Her mother's voice now bounced off the walls as she entered Toph's room. "Your guests are here and they have been waiting for an hour, so hurry," she pleaded as Toph felt her walk up to her and put a hand on her wrist.

"I don't even know most of those people," Toph replied back as she pulled her arms out of her mother's. She heard her sigh.

_Here we go again._ Toph braced herself for another one of her mother's pep talks.

"Your father is doing what is best for you."

"By throwing my name, and right to marry around like I'm not even here?" she snapped back, which she instantly regretted. She felt her mother stiffen, but then relax.

"Don't worry about that. Today no one will bother you." Seeing her daughter wasn't convinced, she added, "I'll tell your father to tell any suitors to not mention marriage or anything of the sort." This did make Toph feel slightly better, but yet again her parents were taking care of her, as if she was still a helpless, blind child. Despite that, she managed a small smile and hugged her.

"Thanks Mom," she said in a caring voice, one that her mother had missed so much. Toph stood up and began to walk out toward the front of the house where her birthday was being held. As she walked through the door, she heard many voices, most of them unfamiliar.

She walked out on the lawn and tapped her foot to get a sense of where everyone was. They were all clustered in small groups, talking and enjoying each other's company. The children stood by their parents, and what Toph could feel were bored out of their minds. Letting out a sigh, she walked out towards the tent that was the center stage of the party.

Under it were a table for cards, as well as gifts from family and annoying enough, suitors. As if she wanted any of them. Every year she would always get the same thing: clothes. She hated it. A comfortable chair was seated in the center of the tent.

That was where Toph was going to set for the rest of the day.

_Kill me now,_ she moaned to herself as she sat down. She felt her mother go over to her father. At least something good went her way today.

The party went by at a snail sloth's pace. Relatives she never knew existed introduced themselves as great uncles, nephews, cousins of her father's long lost brother.

Yeah, one of those kind of families.

Toph sat politely and acted approachable with her fakely warm smile, much to her father's delight. He would come by every five minutes or so, asking if she needed anything or if she was fine. About the fifth time around, Toph had to bite back a sharp remark that would not have been appropriate with so many little kids around.

She was just about to lose it, when suddenly, she heard a familiar roar and a couple of surprised gasps. Her eyes snapped open as she heard an all too familiar laugh spring form that same direction.

She stood up and rammed her foot in the earth, her excitement bubbling over.

_It had been two years sense I saw those two!_

She felt them.

Those familiar light footsteps land on the ground, followed by the motherly thud she knew, but also and surprisingly, a vibration she had not felt sense her arriving home three years ago.

Before she could stop herself, she was running towards them, a wide smile covering her face. She felt them turn to her direction and heard a laugh and cry of joy came as they ran towards her too.

Toph wasn't surprised when she felt Aang grab her first in a hug, followed closely by Sokka and Katara.

"Happy birthday Toph!" they all shouted in unison.

Maybe today wasn't going to be so bad.

* * *

**The lion's on Sokka's pants symbolises strength, protection, valor, and energy. I figured that fit Sokka pretty well. **

**I hope you enjoyed this Chapter and the Tokka fluff. Have any questions, comments or concerns let me know. Thank you. **

**Stay tuned for Chapter 4! :D Things are gonna start getting intense, so I'm excited to continue.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Finally managed to get this uploaded. I would have had it uploaded sooner, but Mother Nature had other ideas -_-**

**Anyways, here is chapter 4. Enjoy and thank you for reading my story thus far.**

**I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender**

* * *

Chapter 4

Sokka sat back against the saddle, resting his hands on his fidgety knees. The eighteen-year-old Water Tribe warrior had managed to find remedies for his nerves, but not even those could stop the onslaught of anxiety he felt.

"It's gonna be great to see Toph again!" Aang's slightly deeper voice exclaimed as he eased up on Appa's reins, making him fully descend and let out a welcoming roar. Sokka managed to smile. Even though Aang had greatly matured over the three years, he still had that same goofy personality. He had grown too, about the same height Sokka was when he was sixteen. His bald head still bore the sharp blue tattoos, and he still wore his orange air nomad tunic.

Katara stood up and jumped from Appa's neck to the saddle, stretching out her legs

"I know. We haven't seen her on our way to the Colonies," Katara said as she quickly glanced between the two boys, a large smile on her face. Sokka glanced at his sister and grinned, trying to hide his nervousness. His sister had grown a little bit too, and, even though he was her brother, he had to admit that she was beautiful. Boys from all around stared at her when she sauntered by in her tight dresses, let-down hair that streamed down her back. She wore her brown locks in two ponytails that came down the front of her shoulders, with her hair loopies tucked up in her hair.

However, she could still read him like a cheap book.

"Sokka," she said in a humorous voice as she crouched down with a smirk on her face, "this is Toph were going to see, not some band of murderers." She teased him, seeing through the fake grin Sokka deployed.

"I know that. But it has been three years since I've seen her," Sokka replied as he stood up too. "People change in three years ya know!"

"No kidding, but didn't you send her letters, or vice versa?" Aang asked from Appa.

"No, he was too busy helping dad rebuild the South Pole," Katara answered for her brother, who sprouted an annoyed frown.

"I wrote to her twice! But, never got a reply," Sokka said, slightly glancing away at the thought of not hearing from one of his best friends in three years. He had even made an effort to stay in touch with Zuko, and even he found time to write back despite his duties to the Fire Nation. Sokka didn't know if he was upset, annoyed, or hurt. Maybe all three, for he had felt those and every other emotion through those long three years. But now, he didn't know what he felt regarding Toph.

He looked back up to his sister, only to find her standing at the edge of Appa's saddle, waving down to the crowd.

Sokka glanced over to see a bunch of children breaking away from their parents, laughing as Appa neared the ground. Aang joined in on the laughing as he Airbent himself off Appa and landed softly on the ground. All the children oohed and ahhed as he softly landed on the ground, as if descending from a cloud.

Sokka followed foot with his sister, jumping from Appa with less grace than Aang, but with the same amount of enthusiasm. Nobles with fancy, expensive tunics and kimonos were standing in small groups, expressions of surprise and annoyance on their faces. Tables and chairs were scattered around a larger tent, with green and white umbrellas set in the middle of the tables to block the sun.

As Sokka looked over the yard, his eyes caught sight of a girl in a light green and white kimono dress running towards them, a large smile plastered on her face.

Something about her was familiar. Sokka focused on the girl, and as she came closer, it dawned on him.

"Toph!" Aang laughed with joy as he took off towards his old Earthbending master. Katara echoed that exclamation as she followed Aang, while Sokka felt his legs moving on his own. Everything else shut down around him as a wave of happiness overtook his nerves instantly.

It was Toph. And she was smiling that same smile, the smirky grin whenever she triumphantly beat back an opponent, or Aang or himself, whoever was in her way.

He could have sworn that smile grew even wider as Aang collided with her, embracing her in a large hug. Smiling and laughing along with his friends, Sokka and his sister caught up to Aang, embracing in a group hug that had not been shared in what felt like a lifetime.

"Happy Birthday Toph!" they all shouted in unison as they took in their prolonged hug, filling the empty hole that their separation had dug out. A warm, almost fuzzy feeling tickled Sokka as visions of the good times they shared together came flooding back, making him nostalgic. As they slowly parted from the hug, he was able to get a better view of Toph.

She was still short, but she too had grown over the years. She was almost as tall as Katara, the top of her head coming to Katara's shoulders. Her hair was the only thing that was drastically different; it was in a qitou, her bangs were parted and a light green hairpiece was in-between her hair, taking place of the headband she normally wore. Two large gold flowers were attached to the end of the hairpiece. Needless to say, she looked pretty in her outfit, wearing a newer fashion, no-doubt for her party. Her dress flowed against her body perfectly, and Sokka couldn't help but notice she had physically matured in more ways than one. Toph now had womanly curves, like full breasts and slightly wider hips. Her eyes, although sightless, seemed brighter and greener to him, fuller. They lite up her face, which remarkably kept its shape and texture throughout the three years. How she had grown up.

"Toph! It is so good to see you!" Katara exclaimed as she was the last one to let go of the birthday girl.

"Good to see you too Sugar Queen, and you too Twinkles." Toph reached out and grabbed onto Aang's robs, and swiftly trailed her fingers up his shirt, nearly smacking the Avatar in the nose. "And you've grown! I thought you were still the shrimp from our group, feeling as how your footsteps are as soft as ever," she teased with a grin on her face. Sokka couldn't help but chuckle at her joke to Aang's height.

"Long time no see, ehhh Sokka?" Toph did not turn to face Sokka, but kept face in the direction of Aang. Sokka did not know whether to take this as good or bad. So he felt back on his old, yet successful tactic when he had a tough decision to make. Instinct.

"Good one Toph, but I'm not falling for that one." Seeing as Toph was unfazed by this, he continued, "But you look good, so how does it feel for the world's greatest Earthbender to turn sixteen?" He outstretched his hands. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Aang giggle and his sister roll her eyes. Toph however, turned and faced his general direction.

"Same as turning fourteen and fifteen, minus the crazy suitors," she blandly stated.

Katara groaned and Sokka winced, knowing all too well what Toph might be going through. The Water Tribe had a similar custom of suitor's and arranged marriages, with slight variations regarding the age of marriage. Sokka suddenly scowled at the thought of strangers asking for Toph's hand in marriage.

"Suitors?" Aang said, confusion mixed in with his bewildered voice.

"Trust me, you don't wanna hear about it," Toph said as she put her hand in front of Aang's face, signaling him to stop asking about it. She then looked up to Sokka, a clear frown on her face. Sokka gulped.

"I'm glad YOU'RE here, but it would have been nice to have at least a "_hello" _once in the past three years." She leered at Sokka, who now felt his heart rate begin to climb.

"But I sent you two letters! Didn't you read them!?" He exclaimed. Toph waved a hand in front of her face.

"Couldn't even if I wanted too!" she said with more humor than he expected. Sokka stared at her, then slapped himself on the forehead. Stupid statement. Toph's laughter brought him back to the present, along with a wave of embarrassment.

"And even at eighteen years old, you're still the same dimwitted wanna-be warrior." She laughed as she pulled her arm back and punched him square in the arm, making him yelp in surprise and a couple of the onlookers gasp. "I'm glad you're here though, " she said with sincerity, motioning her hand in the direction of her three friends, who all smiled back, briefly forgetting she couldn't see.

"What's going on here!?" A sharp, authoritative voice torn through their mood. Sokka looked up to see a man dressed in a gold tunic marching over to them, flanked by two guards. Sokka immediately knew who it was, and now realized why he had been dreading coming back.

"Just reacquainting with some friends Dad," Toph said back to her father as she turned to face him, arms crossed over her chest. "Which, surprisingly, I haven't heard from in about three years." Sokka did not miss the challenge in her voice, nor slightly taken aback look from Toph's father. Immediately he recoiled, and glared daggers into the three of them.

"We'll talk about this later, but now you're _friends _have to leave, immediately." He stabbed the last word out with calm, yet demanding strength. He had clearly not forgiven them for taking Toph all over the world with them. Toph, on the other hand, took a step toward her father, slightly shaking the ground with her step.

"What does that mean?" she demanded as calmly as she could, which Sokka knew was the last straw before she all out snarled. Ignoring his daughter, he motioned the two guards to move towards them.

"Make sure the Avatar and his friends do not return," he commanded. The moment the word Avatar slipped from his mouth, surprised murmuring began sweeping the crowd, echoing the word as if they discovered a lost treasure. Seeing his mistake, Lao could not hide the anger in his face as people began walking toward Aang, bowing and shaking his hand.

"The Avatar!"

"Oh, I did not know the Avatar would be attending Toph's birthday!"

"It is an honor to meet the savior of the world!"

Aang looked surprised by the barrage of compliments and people approaching him. A few even stopped to exchange bows with Katara and Sokka.

"Dad, they are staying. They are my friends, I haven't seen them since the war, and plus I'm the Avatar's teacher, and he has to do what I say," she added with a triumphant smirk on her face. A few more gasps erupted form the crowd as people began approaching Toph, bathing her in questions and attention. Sokka couldn't help but grin at Toph as she took in all the attention. She was still the same Earthbender he knew from three years ago. To him, that was both comforting and reassuring.

* * *

After a bombardment of questions, comments, and all around hero-worshipping, as Toph called it, they were saved by Toph's mother, who led them out of the ever-growing crowd towards the large tent. Awaiting them was a table with four chairs and food. However, Aang got bogged down by some kids who wanted to see some "magic." Aang reluctantly showed them a few Airbending tricks, but soon was laughing along with them as he blew them into the air and gently set them back down, or gave them rides while he rode on his Air scooter.

Katara giggled as her boyfriend zoomed by the tent, a five year old squealing with delight on Aang's shoulders. Sokka was digging into the food along with Toph. It had been the first time either of them had eaten all day, and he was starving. If only Katara had seen him; he had managed to eat the food in smaller bites and used chopsticks with the rice, eating in a "civilized manner." Toph still had him beat though, but it looked weird to see her eat with manners. She was usually the messiest eater out of them all.

Toph's reaction to him from before left him reeling. He did not know why, but he was sweating around her. Why was he so nervous? Had she changed that much that he was no longer comfortable around her? He refused to accept that. She was his best friend! And now they acted like complete strangers.

"So, how have things been?" he causally asked. Toph seemingly shrugged, as if there wasn't much to tell.

"Ehh, okay I guess. While you guys got to travel the world, I was stuck here turning babies into men." She smirked. Sokka had no idea what she was talking about, and Toph quickly got the message from his lack of a response. "I am teaching Earthbending to students at the academy."

"Toph! That's amazing!" Katara exclaimed. Sokka was also impressed. He honestly did not see Toph being the teaching type. Sure she taught Aang Earthbending, but her methods nearly broke the Airbender's back. Literally.

"Not really," Toph sighed in frustration. "All of the students are a bunch of rich, stuck up snot rockets who don't have the mindset of a true Earthbender. Just mommy and daddy's money," she said as she rested her head on her arm that was propped up on the table by her elbow. "I mean, even Aang found his niche, and he has the mind of a child!" Toph said as she pointed past Sokka and Katara.

They both looked back to see Aang laughing as he slid down Appa's tail, much to the younger children's delight.

"Aang will always be a kid at heart," Katara said with a slight blush as she turned back to Toph.

"If that's the case, he can go eat at the kids table," Toph joked as she set her chopsticks down. Sokka could not suppress the sudden jolt of a laugh while his mouth was full of food, allowing some of the contents to escape onto the table, resulting in a scowling Katara and a laughing Toph.

"Way to go Meathead! You still can't eat either," she laughed as she leaned back on her chair.

Meathead. Now that was something Sokka hadn't heard in a while. And even though it was aimed as an insult, it felt strangely good to hear it again.

"Hello there, Toph Bei Fong." Toph let out a small groan, causing Sokka to look up from his mess. Standing to Toph's left was a boy who looked to be Sokka's age. He was tan with short brown hair that covered the top of his ears. He had green eyes and a slight scar under his left eye. He had a firm, lean and built body that most male Earthbender's had. He wore a dark green kimono that was outlined in gold.

Sokka immediately did not like the guy. The way he looked at Toph made Sokka's blood suddenly boil. A smug smile branded his face, one that Sokka had seen when dealing with young nobility in the Northern Water Tribes. The look of arrogance.

"What do you wantRieo?" Toph grunted nonchalantly. Her face did give away her annoyance as her eye's slightly scrunched up, as if catching whiff of a dead, rotting carcass. Undeterred by the tone in her voice, the boy put a hand on her shoulder, and Toph narrowed her eyes.

"Let's go for a walk around the garden. It's a beautiful day out, but not as beautiful as you." Sokka put his hand down on the table, a little too roughly, for the boy named Rieo glared at him. Sokka met his gaze unfazed. _What am I doing?_ Sokka thought to himself as he felt his blood molding into lava. What was he feeling?

_Jealously_? Sokka quickly forgot about the kid that was glaring at him as the word echoed through his mind.

He stored that thought with one of the many he collected over the years, gathered from sleepless nights...over Toph?

He quickly snapped back to the present in time to witness Toph push Rieo's hand off her shoulder. KEEP THESE LINES!

"Look bub, if you wanna impress anything remotely living, you'll have to do way better than that," Toph said as she gave him the cold shoulder. Rieo clearly did not get the hint, as a sly smile creped over his face.

"Then perhaps you would like to open this now," he said as he pulled out a small box from his pocket, fancy glittery gold and green silk tying it down. He set it down on Toph's lap, and Sokka could only assume what was in there. Toph seemed to know too, for her annoyance began to mold into frustration and anger as she tossed it back at the table behind her.

"Later. Now leave me alone!" she demanded as she crossed her arms, an annoyed scowl on her face. Rieo seemed taken aback by her gesture, clearly his thickheaded skull not expecting this sort of reaction. As he stepped back, his eyes met with Sokka's and the fury of a thousand Earthbenders flashed across them.

"What are you looking at?" he snapped, raising his fist in the air. Sokka quickly stood up to face Rieo, but before things could escalate, Toph stood up, faced Rieo, and jabbed a finger in his gut.

"Are you just as blind as I am!? I don't like you! I don't wanna talk to you! And I defiantly don't want to open your crazy wedding gift!" she jabbed him so hard he took a few steps back, rubbing his gut.

Sokka was at first surprised to hear Toph's sudden outburst, but hearing that booming and threatening voice eased his own tension. She was the same old Toph, and he felt his muscles relax into comfortable mode again**. **

Rieo looked like he had been slapped by his mother and witnessed someone kick his dog at the same time. As Toph took another step toward him, he quickly raced out of the tent. Assured he would not come back, Toph took her set again and let out a deflated sigh as she slumped down her chair. Katara had gotten up during the confrontation and had stood next to Toph and was now sitting directly to her right.

"Are things this crazy in the south, Katara?"

"Well, things can get...irrational when there are multiple suitors buying for the same girl's heart, but that was," she paused, clearly not knowing how to put things into perspective for Toph. Toph raised one of her eyebrows, waiting for Katara to finish. "Intense." Toph nodded her head as her frown only deepened.

"Welcome to my world. After I turned fifteen, all these random guys and their families started coming over for dinner, and the next thing you know, they are shoving wedding rings and other crap in my face," Toph explained in an aggravated tone. Katara placed a reassuring hand on Toph's shoulder as the Earthbender slowly sat up on her chair. "And you!" She pointed a sharp finger at Sokka as he sat down.

"Wah? What did I do?" Sokka sputtered as gestured towards himself.

"I can take care of myself! I don't need you getting your butt handed to you by some hormonally frustrated Earthbender over me," Toph grunted, the familiar and still sharp ring coming back to life in her voice. Sokka stared at her in disbelief; he wasn't defending her so much as defending himself!

"Really Sokka," his sister turned and gave him a sharp look. "The last thing we need is you to get in a fight here. We'd be thrown out." Sokka slowly sat back down in his chair in defeat. He wasn't going to even bother arguing his case with Toph.

At least Rieo had left. He couldn't decipher the reason he got angry at his gestures toward Toph, but he knew it when he felt it. Mulling over it, his other preserved thoughts came back to life. They all seemed interconnected in some way; he just couldn't put his thumb on it. A swift and stinging sensation from his shin jolted him back to reality, back to Toph, who was now staring at him with a sly grin plastered on her face, and a confused Katara was glancing between the two of them.

"Hey Sokka, you really did not like him, did you?" she said with lighthearted insightful tone.

Not knowing where she was going with this, Sokka slowly nodded his head, forgetting that Toph couldn't see. "Uh yeah, who would like him?" he quickly added once he realized his mistake.

"Good," Toph exclaimed as she stood up from her chair, smoothing her dress down against her legs. "Then how would you like pull a good one on him? I have a crazy idea," she said with glee as she walked over to her gift table. Sokka dropped everything he was doing (and thinking) about and eagerly walked over to Toph, leaving his groaning sister to follow.

Toph rummaged around the pile of boxes and pulled out a red container that smelled strongly of tea. She felt around in it a bit and pulled out a red bag filled to the brim with:

"Fire Flakes!" Sokka cringed as he watched Toph take a handful and causally toss them in her mouth. The horror he put his mouth through when he devoured a whole bag of those mini infernos was unforgivable, but Toph didn't even flinch at the heat.

Sokka learned from Zuko that what made Flaming Fire Flakes so unbearable for most foreigners is the five-second delay. Not only where they hot, but small. Most of the foreigners swallowed them within two seconds or less, causing the firestorm to travel up and down their mouth and esophagus.

"I know! Iroh sure knows how to treat a girl to a birthday!" she said as she took another handful from the bag before closing it and tossing it towards Sokka, who fiddled with it as if it was a bomb. "Now, unlike you sissys, I actually love these things. But Rieo here HATES spicy food," she said with a devious look on her face. Sokka looked at the plotting Toph to the bag of Fire Flakes in his palm. The realization hit him like the raging heat from the Fire Flakes.

"Toph, isn't that a little too extreme?" Katara cautioned in a small voice, looking over at Rieo outside the tent. Toph extended her hand out to Sokka, silently asking for the bag, which he handed back to her. Unlike his sister, he did not share her sentiment; he relished the thought of getting back at him.

"No way. He is my dad's favorite, and always bothers me. He should know by now I don't want to marry him," she countered as she looked over towards Sokka. "You in Snoozles?" she asked, using another one of his old nicknames. Sokka did not even have to think it over. Granted he had grown older and liked to believe he had matured, but his mischievous side was still present and ever alive within him.

Not bothering to question his motives, or the reason to meet such selfish desires, Sokka stepped forward, he and Toph both sprouting the same mischievous grins. "You know I am. But how are we going to get him to eat these without knowing what they are?" he questioned as Toph opened the bag revealing the orange tinted crustaceans.

"Easy. I'll tell him it's his favorite kind of candy, ask him if he wants any." Toph chuckled at her own idea. Sokka and Katara glanced at each other. That was it? Surly there had to be more than that.

"Umm that's great, but what about me?" Toph walked up to Sokka, loosening the string around the bag opening.

"You will be conveniently close by with a nice cold glass of water, with these bad boys in it," she said as she dumped half of the bag's contents out on Sokka's hands, who yelped slightly in surprise from the sudden pile appearing in his hand, trying not to spill them.

"You guys have something besides water? Cuz this will tint the water orange," Sokka said as he looked down at the pile in his hands. Toph shrugged and began to walk away.

"Just get that stuff in a drink and be ready when he starts to squeal like a little girl," she said over her shoulder as she walked over to where Rieo was. Sokka watched her leave and turned his head to his sister, who was glancing back at him, uncertainty on her face.

"I don't know about this. What if-Aang!" she suddenly exclaimed as she hurried past Sokka. He turned around to see the bald monk sitting on one of the chairs hunched over with a hand on his forehead. Some of the kids had worried and nervous looks on their face as the Avatar groaned slightly.

"Another headache?" Katara asked as she walked in front of Aang and knelt down level to his head. Aang slowly nodded his head as he bent some water from Katara's cup into his own to drink. Seeing that the situation wasn't dire, and under control, Sokka gave up on his sister's assistance and set down the Fire Flakes in his bowl and trudged over to the drink table with his cup.

The table housed a wide array of drinks, including a few of the Earth Kingdom's finest wine. He didn't need anything as elaborate, only something simple. While glancing over each bowl, he discovered a thick red punch with large chunks of ice floating in it.

Perfect.

He scooped two helpings of the cool punch and brought it back to the tent. Katara was now sitting next to Aang who was still hunched over, both hands on his head now.

"Is he awight?" a toothy six-year-old girl asked. Katara shook her head, a soft, motherly smile brightening the somber mood for the children.

"He'll be fine. He just needs to rest for a bit," she said in a hushed voice, a small reassuring grin on her face.

Sokka raised an eyebrow as he set the cup down and began dumping the Fire Flakes in the punch. He heard that Aang had been having these random headaches for a couple of months now, but he did not know what was causing them.

Getting back to the task at hand, he observed his drink as he dumped the last of the Fire Flakes into the punch, watching them dissolve and the red water turn slightly orangish red. Sokka calculated that Rieo would not be able to tell the difference, as he would be looking for anything to put out the fire in his mouth. Satisfied, he walked out from under the tent and scanned the area for Toph and Rieo, the glare of the setting sun harassing his eyes.

They probably should have planned this out a little better, for he had no idea where she was. He found himself wandering around the crowd of people, scanning for the birthday girl and earning a few strange stares from the other members of the party.

He suddenly caught a flash of black dart in front of him, heading directly to his right. His head turned in the same direction only to discover Toph pulling Rieo by the hand towards the entrance of the estate.

By the hand.

Sokka felt himself begin to burn up at the sight of them holding hands, a clear yet confused smile over Rieo's face.

Suddenly, there was a loud scream and a couple of gasps of surprise. Realizing something might actually be wrong, Sokka began to follow Toph, his warrior instincts taking over.

A crowd had gathered around near the entrance of the estate. As Sokka ran up to the crowd, he saw two people in the middle of the crowd, a man and a woman, and Toph was hugging the man. Approaching the edge of the crowd, Sokka recognized who it was, a smile defeating the suspicion that something was wrong.

Fire Lord Zuko and his wife, Fire Lady Mai, stood next to each other, as Toph embraced Zuko in a hug. The Fire Lord had grown up since Sokka had seen him last. He was a little taller than Sokka currently was. His dark brown hair was longer, and let down loosely, save for the part that was tied up and holding his golden hair ornament. Two long bangs hung over the far edge of each eye. He wore his Fire Lord tunic, red with gold outline. He had black shoulder strapson that had pointed tips, which also lead down to a black cape that trailed him.

Mai was also sporting her Fire Lady outfit, which was a black long sleeve kimono that had a red sash around her waist. The front of the sash led down her legs into a gold column, with red on the sides. Her black hair was straightened all behind her, and an orange ornament stuck in her small tied up bun, similar to Zuko.

Sokka stepped through the crowd, and as Mai saw him approach, she greeted him with a warm, uncharacteristic smile. _Wow, she's changed quite a bit._ Sokka thought as he set his cup down on a table and embraced Mai's friendly hug. As Sokka hugged her, he could feel the round belly against his chest. His eyes bore the look of surprise and joy as he discovered Mai was pregnant!

"Good to see you," she chimed as they parted, the doom and gloom in her voice no longer evident. Sokka stared at the dark, gloomy Mai acting so...cheery, so... eyes made contact with Zuko as he and Toph walked up next to Mai. Sokka let out a quick sigh of relief when he saw the Rieo wasn't with her anymore.

"Hello there, peasant," Zuko said in a lighthearted, dry tone. Sokka crossed his arms and smirked.

"Hey there, Jerkbender." The onlookers held their breath as the eerie silence crept over them, but soon let out a sigh of relief as Zuko and Sokka laughed and hugged each other.

"Been awhile, hasn't it?" Zuko said as they parted, and put an arm around Mai, who leaned into him.

"I'll say. You look good. How's running a nation, and soon family, feel like?" Sokka asked, looking at the couple that stood before him. They both glanced at each other, and Zuko turned to face Sokka, a warm smile on his face.

"It feels great," he said as Toph slightly stomped on the ground, feeling Mai's child inside her. Toph grinned as she took a few steps back next to Sokka. Before Sokka could say anything, he was shoved to the side by Toph's father, followed by six angry looking guards.

"What are YOU doing here?" he snarled as he glared daggers through the Fire Lord. Zuko met his gaze with a glare of his own, unmoving and unyielding.

Sokka knew Zuko had been working on ways to maintain his temper that came with the stress of his job, but here one could clearly see his temper beginning to flare at Lao.

Even though the war was over, and the fighting had stopped, the Earth Kingdom and most of the Northern Water Tribe showed bitter resentment towards the Fire Nation, and viewed Zuko in the same regard as they did his father.

"Wishing your daughter a happy birthday," he stated coolly, unblinking towards Toph's father and guards, who showed no sign of easing the tension. "And I'm looking for the Avatar." The crowd began to murmur with each other.

"The Avatar?

"Does he plan to restart the war?"

Sokka turned back and glared at the gossiping Nobles. It was rumors and misinformation that had hurt the relationship between the Water Tribes and the Fire Nation two years ago, and it clearly wasn't helping relations in the Earth Kingdom.

Toph's father only narrowed his eye dangerously. "Your kind is not welcome in my home, let alone MY country!" His two lead guards suddenly dropped into their fighting stances. "Now get out!" he added as the other guards began to fan out, surrounding the Fire Lord and Lady.

Sokka flinched at this, bracing for the rocks and fire to start flying. Zuko however, was not fazed, remaining exactly where he was. Mai too seemed unfazed, but Sokka noticed a swift motion from her left wrist, and he could see the tip of the knife hidden under the long sleeve of her kimono.

All the while this was happening, Toph jumped in front of the two guards, angry eyes glaring up to her dad. "Dad! Are you trying to restart the war! Zuko is on our side! I know him; he's good!" she yelled, anger sweeping from her voice and over her father like ocean waves.

Lao looked down at his daughter and a closed his eyes, letting out a frustrated sigh. "Toph! I may be willing to let the Avatar stay, but not him. His kind and family have done nothing but ruin and destroy the world. I don't want him here," he said as he put a hand on his daughter, who swiftly knocked it away, hurt and anger on her face. Sokka stepped forward, but a thrilled cry made him stop.

"Zuko!" Katara came flying through the crowd and embraced the surprised Fire Lord in a tight hug, followed swiftly by a healthier looking Aang. Lao was also taken by surprise, as well as his guards who dropped out of their fighting stance, glancing at each other.

"Aang! Katara!" was all Zuko could say as they both embraced him in a tight hug. Mai couldn't help but chuckle as Zuko struggled to keep his balance as well as try to hug both his friends back.

"It's wonderful you and Mai could make it!" Katara exclaimed as they all parted**. **

"He was just about to leave," Lao stated in an icy voice.

"Really? How come?" Aang asked as he looked back to Lao, concern on his face.

"Don't worry about it Aang." Toph said as Rieo came up and stood next to her, taking her hand in his. Sokka caught this and that same pang flew through him. He recognized that same strange feeling, for he had felt them before. Slowly, he could feel all the lines connecting, explaining why he felt this way towards Toph.

"I understand you're resentment towards what my father has done, but I am not him, nor will I ever be him," Zuko stated as he turned to Toph. "Happy Birthday Toph," he formally added as he and his wife bowed. Toph smiled at this gesture, but Sokka could still faintly see the hurt expression on her face from her father. As Zuko stood up, his expression hardened into one of authority and severity.

"Aang. I need to talk to you," he said, his Fire Lord vocals taking over. Aang turned towards Zuko with a friendly smile.

"Privately," he added in a graver tone. Aang's expression immediately changed into a serious frown and he nodded his head. Turning back to Katara, he smiled and kissed her on the cheek.

"I'll be back later," he said in his cheery voice as he followed in step with Zuko and Mai as they walked out of the estate, everyone watching two of world's most powerful bender's leave.

When they were out of sight, the door's began to close and everyone began to disembark from the circle they had formed. Toph walked right past her father, who tried to place a gentle hand on her arm. Sokka could feel the anger radiating off her as she and Rieo began to walk towards a tree that was on a patch of grass surrounded by white sand, out of the way from the rest of the party. It took him a moment to remember why she was walking with him in the first place.

Relief flooded over him as he saw his cup was sitting where he had left it. He swiped it with one hand and began walking towards Toph and Rieo at a quicker pace. Rieo had his back turned to Sokka, hunched over as if whispering to Toph. Sokka fumed at the very thought of his lips near any part of her.

"…about how your dad acted." Sokka heard Rieo say in a sincere voice. After closing the distance, Sokka turned facing the gate, leaving his right ear in their direction so he could hear the conversation.

"He just doesn't understand." Sokka heard Toph's sad voice, and the rustling of the bag as she dug through it. "You want some? These are Sugar Stones," she said. Sokka felt his heart quicken out of excitement as he heard Rieo accept the offer. He turned his head slightly to get a view of Rieo's impending miserere. He had his hand in the bag and swiftly dropped a handful of the Fire Flakes in his mouth. Sokka began to count in his head, a devilish smile scoring his face. He heard Rieo smack his lips, take in a deep breath, and then...

Began screeching like a little girl. Sokka nearly burst out laughing, but held it in as a muffled snicker as he turned in the direction and began walking toward Rieo and Toph, who was also fighting the urge to laugh.

"Ahhhhhhhh! Ah! Ha! Hot! These aren't Sugar Stones!" Rieo cried out as he began pacing back and forth, breathing as if he had run a marathon.

"Sorry! I'm blind, remember! I must have picked up the wrong bag," Toph said with a slight snicker in her voice, doing her best to remain under control.

"This isn't funny! I need water! Something! Anything!" Rieo pleaded as he began walking back to the drink table. This was Sokka's moment.

"Hey! You need something to drink?" he asked as he rose his cup in the air. Rieo looked over at Sokka, and hustled over towards him when he saw the cup in his hand. Sokka smirked triumphantly as Rieo swiped the drink out of his hand and chugged it.

"Ahhh, thanks man. I owe you…." That was as far as Rieo got before he exploded into a pain-educed hysteria, rolling around on the ground, clutching his stomach and waving a hand in his mouth. Toph was already on the ground, laughing hysterically as she heard Rieo's pleas to the spirits to make the pain stop.

Sokka soon joined his friend as he burst out laughing, a feeling of accomplishment rushing over him. Rieo's cries were drawing another crowd, and Toph sensed his and her parents coming up, so she decided now was time to leave. While Sokka was trying to wipe tears away while laughing, he felt a hand grab onto his arm and drag him away from the scene.

Sokka could not remember the last time he had laughed that hard, or when he had this much fun. Maybe when he, Aang and Toph were scamming the villagers in that Fire Nation village, right before Toph was kidnapped. A somber wave began conflicting with his giggles as he remembered what Toph had been through. She never told him about, and part of Sokka did not want to know.

He was happy to have found her, even if she was almost willing to escape. He remembered on their trip back to Capital City that she clung to his arm, refusing to let go until they touched solid ground again. The reminder of Toph's touch also brought him back to the dance. Their unforgettable dance that they shared, one of those moments locked away in the memory jar of his mind.

Caught up in his surprisingly sweet daydream, he failed to notice Toph's sudden stop, and crashed into her. They both landed on the ground with a thud.

"Ow. Sorry Toph," Sokka said as he began to get up, but he stopped short at what he saw under him.

Toph.

He was laying on top of Toph, his face inches away from hers, and his left arm draped over her stomach. His other arm was still being held in Toph's deadlock grip. Sokka felt a flush run from his face down his body, which was clearly visible despite the thick shade from the wall and the large tree they were under, nestled in the western wall of the estate, under a small man made hill with a little temple on it.

He told his body to get up before the embarrassment seeped in further, but it refused, ignoring it's brains command, as if taking orders from someone or something else.

Toph's lip quivered nervously, a strange expression on her face, yet she wasn't moving either. He could feel her stomach rise and fall with her shallow, rapid breaths, as well as taste the fire flakes from her breath, yet he did not move. His eyes met hers, though he knew they could not see. And underneath those eyes, he saw a faint shade of pink spreading across her face.

_Why does this feel so…_

_Right?_

Just before he contemplated his next move, Toph roughly pushed him off, landing on his back facing the sky.

"Sorry about that Toph." Sokka quickly said as he sat up, rubbing the back of his head. Toph had stood up and was putting her lose bangs behind her ears and readjusting her hairpiece.

"You kidding? That was perfect!" she said in an excited tone. Now Sokka felt his face redden even more. Did she mean what just happened?

"I wish I saw the look on Rieo's face, I bet it was priceless! Oh man you should have felt the vibrations he was giving off!" She chuckled as she offered her hand to Sokka, who willingly took it. The skin on her hand felt familiar, rough dirt and dust engraved like markings on a tree. Sokka began to relax a little bit more after hearing that, but for some reason, he felt disappointed.

"Let's head back and find Sugar Queen before one of those suitors starts hitting on her" Toph said as she calmly began to walk back towards the party. Sokka followed suit, evenly matching her strides.

Just like the raging waters against the rigid Earth.

* * *

Although Aang didn't want to, he had to leave Toph's party because of the tone in Zuko's voice. He had heard it once before, while they were ridding Appa over Ba Sing Sa before the fireworks started.

"_If you ever see me turning into my father, I want you to end me." _Even though it went against Aang's morals, he reluctantly accepted. Judging by Zuko's tense aura radiating off him, it was important. He was alert, turning his head to the slightest sound coming from the bushes as they walked through the road toward the airship that was just outside of Gaoling.

Hoping to lighten the mood, he probed Zuko with small talk. Aang had spent most of his time traveling between the Earth Kingdom and the Fire Nation, as well as the colonies and the Southern Air temples. Katara had traveled with him for the first couple of months, but she eventually returned home with her family for a year before helping Aang with the Air temples. He hoped that Zuko had equally good news to continue from their meeting two years ago.

He was wrong.

"I've been dealing with a rebellion." Zuko had a stern voice. Aang was shocked that he had not heard this news. Zuko and Mai both told him the rebels had started hit and run attacks as of last year. While Aang tried to dig deeper, Zuko ignored him or changed the subject. Mai just remained silent.

This continued until they reached the airship.

The massive ship lay dormant in a small clearing in the hills overlooking Gaoling, it's sleek crimson coat only darkening with the twilight. Their footsteps echoing from the metal stairs pierced the abnormally quiet night. Two royal guards opened the door for them and they entered the tinted red corridors of the fire nation ship. To Aang, they looked similar to the naval corridors that he had traversed several times during the war. An almost eerie, nostalgic feeling overcame him they walked up to an open door, guarded by two more guards.

"I'll see you in a bit." Zuko said as he and Mai exchanged a kiss. She smiled as she turned and walked onward deeper into the ship. Zuko motioned Aang into the adjacent room and followed him, closing the door as he entered it.

The dim room was a perfect square, with twelve red cushions seated around a large rectangular table that held a map of the world. Aang took his seat on one of the cushions; legs crossed over each other, and rested his hands on his knees. Zuko stepped directly across from him and also sat down, a grime look clouding his face. Anticipation was bubbling over Aang as he waited for Zuko to speak. Hearing about this rebellion he was dealing with, he had a feeling more news stemmed from that source.

"Zuko, what's going on? Why didn't you tell us about the rebellion? We could have helped. I could have helped!"

Zuko let out a frustrated sigh, and looked up at Aang, the lighting of the room casting an ominous shadow across the left side of his face.

"At first I felt you did not need to get involved. There have been many uprisings in the past three years, and all have been put down with relative ease and no casualties," Zuko explained. Aang narrowed his eyes, disappointment clearly seen by the still young Fire Lord. Zuko closed his eyes and lowered his head, as if swallowing his own pride and honor. "This time, I was wrong."

"What do you mean?" Aang prompted, leaning forward. Zuko looked back at Aang; his eyes opened again in their determined, yet grime state.

"During the last winter solstices, the rebels launched simultaneous attacks on shrines, the Fire Sages' temple, and locations of spiritual power all over the Fire Nation." The news struck Aang like a sword piercing his heart, forcing his jaw to drop as his horror-stricken face searched Zuko, hoping that this was some sick joke.

Being the Avatar, it was his duty to be the spiritual bridge between both worlds, which meant defending both worlds. He had seen firsthand the destruction of a shrine, as well as its aftermath; the spirits were not to be trifled with. The damage and chaos that could be unleashed upon the world is unimaginable, and in some cases un-repairable.

Even for the Avatar.

Aang suddenly stood up, twirling his staff around and resting it over his shoulder. "I'm going to the Fire Nation. We need to restore those shrines and stop this rebellion!" he announced as he turned to leave the room.

"Aang, wait!" He stopped, but did not look back. Guilt started mixing with his frustration. "The rebels aren't what I need your help with." Aang snapped around before Zuko could even finish his sentence.

"It sure sounds like that is exactly what you need help with!" the Avatar snapped, frustration taking his body over. "You have no idea what these people could have unleashed onto the world!" Aang said, casting his arm aside. Zuko looked down, and for a split second, Aang saw the cold hand of fear wipe across his face.

"Yes I do," he muttered. Aang's frustrated face turned to one of surprise upon hearing Zuko confirm this. He began to relax as he allowed the Fire Lord to stand and continue to speak.

"One of these Shrines overlooks a small lake close to Capital City. When word of the attack's reached the army, I lead a counter attack in hopes of saving not only the shrine, but the village surrounding the shrine." Zuko paused as he walked up next to Aang.

"The shrine was engulfed in flames. Some of the villagers….soldiers…..were hanging from the trees."

Aang's heart stopped.

People had died. Innocent people. He felt his eyes begin to glaze over. No! He is the Avatar. Time to grow up! He quickly blinked them back into his face, but that couldn't hide the horror from Zuko's tale.

"We managed to stop the fire and drive them back, but the damage had been done. The shrine destroyed, desecrated, defiled. I thought it was all over, but the next night, one of my generals overlooking that shrine was found dead. Ripped in half….

"Stop. I didn't need to know that. I get it," Aang said in a halfhearted voice as he glanced down at Zuko's feet.

"Buthe wasn't killed by anyone from THIS world," Zuko emphasized. Aang's face shot up to meet Zuko's face again.

"A spirit?" Aang more or less asked himself. Zuko nodded his head.

"I have been getting similar reports from all the area's attacked. The Fire Sages in the capital say that these are the vengeful spirits, angry that their homes have been destroyed." Aang nodded his head, confirming with Zuko that that was indeed the case. What he couldn't figure out is who, or why someone would want to unleash that kind of power on innocent people, let alone the world.

"Who would do something like this?" he asked himself as he slowly sat back down.

"Not everyone is happy the war is over, Aang. You remember Admiral Qing?" Zuko asked, as he sat down in front of Aang, crossing his legs and resting his arms on his knees. Aang shook his head.

"He was one of my father's youngest Admirals. He was appointed after Zhao had been killed." His voice slowly trailed off, as if replaying an event in his mind. He then looked back at Aang, fury in his eyes. "The man is ruthless and as cunning as my father. He's used these attacks as propaganda to claim that the spirits are angry at the dishonor and shame the Fire Nation has brought upon them," Zuko explained, making Aang frown. From what he knew of the spirits, they did not directly engage in the mortals' daily lives.

"Who would believe that? He attacked innocent people," Aang said in disbelief. Zuko only shook his head.

"That's what I wanted to believe. But as it seems, people are willing to believe anything if their lives are on the line. His ranks and public support have grown. Now, he is looking at the Earth kingdom," he said as he pointed to the map. Aang followed his finger, and he could see on the map small Fire Nation symbols all along the coastline. "Those marks are shrines that have been attacked. The Earth Kingdom believes these were just random forest fires, or accidents." Aang took in everything Zuko had to say, doing his best to stay focused and not go jumping to the areas along the western coast of the Earth Kingdom.

"Qing has declared that he has received a vision from the spirits, claiming to be given command of them in their quest to restore the Fire Nation's might to the world, and that only he could save the Fire Nation from their wrath." Aang stood up and began to pace back and forth, looking at the map. The attacks were spread out, so as to look random.

But why the shrines? What did he hope to gain from that? Nobody commands the spirits. Even if he had the whole Fire Nation at his back, in the end, he is only going to hurt himself along with the rest of the world.

"You're on your way to the Earth King?" Aang said as he stopped and looked over at Zuko. He nodded his head and let out a small grunt. He looked back at the map. If Qing really was setting his sights on the Earth Kingdom, then shouldn't he be here to help protect the people from them and the spirits?

"What about the Fire Nation?" Aang asked.

"The villages located in the area of the Shrines have all been evacuated. No one else is getting hurt in the Fire Nation Aang," Zuko said as he walked up to the Avatar. Aang looked back at the map, thoughts coursing through his mind.

"I'm going to the spirit world," Aang suddenly declared, looking at Zuko, his tone finding its determination. "If the spirits are in trouble, maybe there is a way I can help repair the damage in the Fire Nation as well as the Earth Kingdom." He did not believe it to be that simple. These things never were. However, he was hoping to get the guidance from an old friend, one that had helped him many times in the past.

"Good. But whatever you do, help the Earth Kingdom first. This is a mess my father started, and thus a mess from the Fire Nation. I do not want to burden the Earth Kingdom any more than my country already has," Zuko said in a sincere voice. Aang smiled and nodded his head. Despite his stubbornness, he always thought of the wellbeing of the world, not just his own country.

He respectfully bowed before Zuko, who returned the gesture.

"Don't worry. We'll get through this," Aang said as he began to walk out to the hallway, followed by Zuko. Zuko could only nod his head as Aang walked through the corridors and out into the still, cool night, swiftly taking to the sky with his glider. He welcomed the rush of cool air against his body, his element swirling all around him. But he did not have the same joy he had once before. A somber mood feel over the Avatar, as he realized that their hard-won peace could soon be wiped away.

* * *

_A tall, muscular man smiled as he observed his archers drawing back their arrows. The evening moon gave off just enough light for him to have full view over his ship, and watch his magnificent archers shoot their targets. His ship had just started to travel up river, making its silent trek to the massive lake within the Earth Kingdom._

_He considered himself lucky the Yuyan archer's would join his rebellion. He thought they had been wiped out during the Siege of the North Pole. Yet when his call came out, they were one of the first to answer._

_As the archer's unleashed their precise arrows, he heard a metal door open and footsteps closing the distance towards him._

"_Admiral. The assassin's failed to dispatch of the Fire Lord and his wife." He narrowed his eyes, slowly moved his hands behind his back as he stood tall, rigid, powerful. The evening breeze sent his cloak into a soft flutter as he stood, not moving an inch. _

"_I see." He suddenly lost interest in his prized archers. He heard the man take a few more steps toward him and stand behind his right shoulder. _

"_The Fire Lord has taken an airship to Earth Kingdom territory, most likely Ba Sing Sa." The Admiral drew back his lips in a devilish smile, exposing white teeth. He chuckled darkly, a whisper to himself._

_Perfect. _

_He had expected this to happen. Either they would have been killed by his assassins, or they would have moved to Ba Sing Sa to warn the Earth King of their impending attack._

_It was of no concern. He would soon have what he wanted._

"_And the Avatar?" he asked, still unmoving. He heard the man stiffen behind him. Not a good sign._

"_Our scouts at the western and southern air temples have been unable to locate him." This was disappointing to hear. It would have been nice to have the Avatar dealt with right away. Now, he either knew about the impending attack and was in Ba Sing Sa, or was completely oblivious, which he felt wasn't the case._

_The Avatar was their only true threat. He took his beloved leader's bending away, humiliated his country, and shattered everyone's honor in the Fire Nation. All except that weak-minded scared prince who claimed to be the Fire Lord._

_Yet somehow, he was relieved. He would eventually face the Avatar-avenge Ozai, and all those who gave their lives in the name of the Fire Nation during the hundred-year war._

"_That also doesn't matter General," he stated as he turned around and began to walk towards the interior of his ship._

"_Sir?" the confused general said as he followed him._

"_I'll soon have more power than Ozai ever had, even during the comet. I'll have more than enough to destroy the Avatar," he explained, his smile growing wider at the thought of burning the bald monk to a crisp._

"_Then we go forward?" the captain asked as he opened the door of the Admiral. _

"_Yes. Tell the men to begin preparation of landing. Give each of them their assignments and destinations. And," he paused, stopping at the edge of the door, glancing back at the general, his golden eyes ripping through the darkness, "Tell the men if they encounter the Avatar, kill him on sight."_

* * *

**Hope you liked it! :) Let me know what you think; anything you liked, didn't like, It helps and I appreciate it. :D**

**Stay tuned for Chapter 5! Again, thank you and hope you enjoyed the read :)**

**Write on!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Here is Chapter 5. Read and enjoy :)**

**I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender**

* * *

Chapter 5

Warmth. She felt radiantly warm like a miniature sun. Now, and the evening before, she glowed from inside to her fingertips.

The feeling of the blankets hugging her in an ocean of fur and comfort, and the feeling of his arms on her, his face inches from hers, her ears picking up his breathing, her hand feeling the beat of his heart.

It had accelerated.

Just like hers.

She opened her sightless eyes slowly, stiffening out a yawn as she gradually sat up on her bed, the feeling of Sokka's arm laying on her chest still fresh in her mind.

No matter what she tried, she could not drive the feeling she felt during that brief, yet lifelong encounter. All her senses told her, no screamed at her to run, but oddly enough, that little voice crept back into Toph's head, freezing her in place.

_No, I can't. _She closed her eyes as she sighed, remembering the frantic thoughts that ran through her mind as she felt herself begin to blush, her body giving in to that little voice. She had to fight it, not wanting to ruin their friendship once it had been rekindled. So she brushed those feelings, and Sokka, aside. Her feelings toward him would only ruin their friendship, pushing him farther apart than he already was to her.

But why did she have to feel this way?! Why did she want to be more than friends? She clenched her hands in her blanket as frustration began to kick her morning fatigue away. She considered herself lucky to even be friends with Sokka, but anything beyond that was out of the question, a false fantasy.

_Don't say that. _That annoying little voice hushed in her head. She groaned and kicked off her blanket and swung off her bed. She quickly changed from her pajamastoher Earth Kingdom tunic.

She was told that it looked very similar to the one she wore the days she traveled with Aang, though her outer tunic was held to her waste by a soft fabric, almost like a sash instead of her rough belt. The outer tunic went down to her hips, while her comfy under tunic went down to legs, above her ankles. Her outfit also sprouted shorter sleeves that stopped at her biceps. Her ankle braces she had worn were replaced by ankle braces that had a soft fabric on the top of her feet, leaving the bottom bare. The top of her brace had a newer feature; a rough stone guard that covered a soft fabric. She did not even bother to ask what the color was, but she assumed they were the colors of the Earth Kingdom and her family, whatever those colors were.

While she got dressed, she replayed the events as she heard and felt them after her encounter with Sokka. When they got back to the party, she did her best to avoid him, not standing next to him or speaking to him directly. She paused as she struggled to get her arm through one of her under tunic's sleeves, realizing she was still thinking about Sokka, and that she had pretty much given him the cold shoulder.

Just like three years ago.

"Screw this," she mumbled as she pulled her head over her tunic and grabbed her space rock bracelet and bent it around her left bicep. She had worn it every day, resting it on the table that was next to her bed. As for her emotions turning her mind into scattered dirt, she had one remedy.

Earthbending.

During her initial day's home, her parents were not too keen on her continuing her Earthbending, as it was still "too dangerous." So she was once again forced to practice in secret until she turned fourteen. By then, she was able to convince her dad to let her teach students at Master Yu's academy. The true reason she trained there was so she could freely Earthbend.

Being one with her element, and harnessing her Earth and Metalbending, she was able to relax, calm down, bring her to a slight sense of peace.

Toph opened the door of the house and closed it, not caring if it was too loud or not. She proceeded to the edge of the estate's wall and Earthbent herself over. Landing on the ground perfectly, she could feel her parents were still asleep, or at least not in the house; their room, like Toph's was made out of finely polished wood. She also did not sense any of the house guard move in her general direction. They stood motionless, like statues in an eternal slumber. Toph cheekily grinned as she stretched her arms out and began to walk towards town and the academy.

The ground was welcoming to her toes as she bathed them in dirt with every step. The morning air was cool, almost chilly. Still in the woods surrounding her, she could hear the morning calls of birds, awaking from their slumber. She caught herself smiling, as memories of walking up early to train Aang, or stay on track with Sokka's master-No!

Toph shook her head violently as a frown quickly replaced her smile, not wanting to have that goofy, pony-tailed warrior in her mind. Eager to get to the academy, she picked up her speed as she entered town, her feet guiding her to her destination.

There were few villagers out, some setting up their stands or opening up their shops. As she walked in-between streets, she could feel the rays of the morning sun graze her body. The thought of the warming sun brought Zuko to her mind. She was glad Zuko had come to see her, for she had not heard from him either in three years.

No doubt because of her father.

They didn't have to talk about anything, she could tell, could feel it in him. She believed Sokka had written those two letters, and she could only guess as to how many Zuko may have written. And she knew her father prevented her from hearing them. She felt herself becoming angrier at the thought of him keeping her from her friends.

She should have figured something was up when Katara and Aang asked her if she had gotten their letter's prior to their visit two years , just like Sokka and Zuko, had gotten none, literally being left in the dark to her what her friends had been up to sense they went their separate ways.

She walked through the gate leading into the academy in a huff, wide awake and getting angrier with every stride. She was slightly relievedthat she was here already though. She walked through the empty academy quickly, her finger's guiding her against the concrete wall towards the sparring arena in the back.

The arena was surrounded by the academy's walls, with chunks of rock scattered all over the place. As she stepped into the arena, she let herself go, taking in texture and the feel of the earth between her toes. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, inhaling the dust and aroma of dirt and sand, having her toes dig into the earth underneath her.

This was where she belonged. In her element.

She snapped her feet together and hunched down, bringing her arms up above her head and squatted up, bending a pillar of earth in the center of the area. She then dropped into her fighting stance, one arm down by her chest and another arm up in front. She took a deep breath, and slammed her foot on the ground.

She felt the ground tremble as a rock flew in the air. She drew both her hands back and launched them forward, a standard move that sent the rock crashing into the pillar.

She quickly slammed her left foot forward and thrust her right arm forward, sending a ripple of earth from the ground toward the pillar. Almost simultaneously, she stretched her legs and arms out wide, as if bracing herself to catch a rolling boulder. She quickly snapped them both together, fist and feet connecting with each other, making two rocks from the left and right of the pillar shoot out towards her target. Immediately after and as quickly as she could, she slammed her right heal on the ground and with a swift motion, pulled back, turning her body slightly as she pulled a segment of earth from behind the pillar, sending it towards her target.

In a rhythmic pattern, the earth slammed into the pillar, knocking it over and sending a large piece of rock sailing directly at Toph. She heard and felt it soaring towards her. Taking in a deep breath, she drew back her head, imagining the large rock, feeling it, smelling it, hearing it, tasting it's lose dust and dirt.

Seeing it.

With perfect timing, she rammed her head forward; her forehead slammed into the rock, disintegrating it into dust that coated her as well as flew on the ground past her. She stayed hunched over, breathing and feeling her forehead's new coating. This was how she handled problems. She took them out with her Earthbending. Normally she would feel better as she continued with her practice.

This time, it wasn't working. Digging through the earth only dug up old memories she buried long ago. As she felt the pillar toppled to the ground, she remembered feeling Sokka and Suki kissing at the dance, making her already weak legs topple from under her.

Toph grunted as she poundedher fist directly into the ground, launching another rock into the air. She recoiled and stepped forward with her left foot, and snapped her left fist out, leading a pillar of earth to knock the rock towards the academy building. Quickly, she slammed her right foot on the ground and thrust both of her arms up, pulling row of earth up, stopping her emotional rock from crashing into the academy.

Still nothing. She did not feel anything with relation to her father anymore, but every time she slammed her foot on the ground, raised her arm up, and bend the earth she commanded, she could hear Sokka.

Smell him.

Feel him.

See him.

Letting out a frustrated cry, she punched a small boulder, sending it into her row of earth she rose before. She wanted these feelings to leave her alone so desperately. She wanted to crash them into each other like these rocks she could bend. But she couldn't.

And she knew it.

She kicked her toes into the ground, sending a wave of rock sweeping over the arena, kicking up loose dirt and shaking it to its very core. No amount of Earthbending would be able to sink this feeling away.

It was because of Sokka.

No, it was because of Suki! They were still together! If she weren't around—STOP!

Toph felt her legs begin to quiver, the weight of her conflicting emotions bearing down on her. Face hardening, she jumped in the air and brought both of her arms down on the ground, releasing a large oval wave of rocks and earth.

"You're sounding like a bigger idiot than Snoozles," Toph said to herself as she quickly bent some more earth towards the row she bent earlier, toppling it. She could get through this.

She always did.

No matter how badly it hurt, even if the core split in half, the rock could still form back together. Like when she reshaped herself, bent the pieces of rock to forge them together as one, to put her heart back together when she always found a way to be happy for him.

She rose an angry fist and sailed it toward the last remaining bit of earth from the row and punched through it, destroying it completely. Just like her feelings for Sokka.

Just for another day.

* * *

Fire Lord Zuko lay with his wife in their bed together, lost in a deep sleep that her pregnancy has given her. He wasn't going to leave Gaoling until he had heard back from Aang, so he planned on taking the rare opportunity to sleep in. But Zuko couldn't fall back to sleep.

Something wasn't right.

He slowly rose from his bed, careful not to wake Mai, and grabbed his robe. The anxious Fire Lord walked toward the room's metal door, straining his ears for any movement from the other side. He grabbed onto the latch and slowly opened it, peering around the corner.

The corridor before him was dark and empty.

Neck hair standing on end, he swiftly but quietly maneuvered around the door and closed it, careful not to make any noise.

_Where are the guards? _Zuko thought grimly as he rose his hands up in his fighting stance, his ears straining for the slightest noise.

Nothing.

This only made Zuko more nervous. He should have heard some of his crew, the hissing of the pipes...something.

Against his better judgment, he began to walk down the corridor slowly, his light footsteps releasing an ominously soft echo through the corridor.

Had the assassins found them here? Zuko and Mai had many assassination attempts on them the past year, all from the rebels. Thankfully, none had come close to completing their goal.

Now however, Zuko felt vulnerable. Something he hadn't felt before during his few years of Fire Lord.

He rounded a corner carefully, squinting his eyes to see through the dark. He couldn't see anything.

He took a few steps forward, but then suddenly, he saw two silhouettes appear from the hallway.

Adrenalin rushed through his body, instinctively putting himself into his fighting stance.

"Who's there!" he shouted as he drew back his fist by his ear, preparing to launch a fury of attacks. The silhouettes stopped, and a flame ignited in one of their palms, revealing two royal guards, their red armor and helmets glistening from their own light.

"Fire Lord Zuko! Are you alright?" one of them said as they ran up to Zuko, who was slowly coming out of his stance, his guard still up.

"What's going on?" he demanded, cutting right to the point.

"We don't know sir. The lights all of a sudden went out, and some of the guards have been disappearing," one of them said as they back down the hallway whence they came. Zuko narrowed his eyes.

"We have intruders," he said as he swiftly turned and began to walk quickly back to Mai in his chamber.

"Sir, with all due respect, we should get you to safety first," one of the guards said as he followed the Fire Lord, facing the opposite direction in case they were being followed.

"I go with my wife and child, or not at all," Zuko sneered back to the guard, who did not respond, knowing it would be in his best interest to stay quiet. Zuko's heart was surging rapidly in his body.

He should have seen this coming! This was the perfect opportunity for an assassin to take him and his family out. He felt a sleeping dragon growl within him at the thought of someone hurting Mai, and undermining him. He glanced back at the guards, who were closely following him with their arms raised, ready to fight if needed. The guard who spoke out to him had his back turned to Zuko as he walked, making sure they weren't being followed. The other guard was directly flanking him.

That would explain why his guards were gone. They were probably dead, but there were no signs of a struggle. Unless….

Zuko felt his heart skip a beat, as he realized the imposter could very well be one of his guards.

Could they be the intruders? They were conveniently close to his chambers.

He looked forward, a cold sweat beginning to run down his back as his chamber door came into view down the hallway.

He closed his eyes, picturing the swift moves and actions he would take to bring these men to the ground, and see their true loyalty. He also quickly went over the finishing blows he would deal them IF they were intruders. He slowly brought his left arm up to his hip, clenching it into a fist.

"Gahg!" Zuko quickly turned around to see the guard flanking him collapse to the ground. The other guard who was watching the corridor quickly turned his head back to his fallen comrade, then quickly back to the dark corridor whence they came and drew back his fist.

"My Lord! Please ru-Aghhh!" he abruptly finished as Zuko heard the sickly noise of metal and flesh being torn apart. As the guard collapsed to the ground, Zuko spotted a large knife lodged in his throat, blood seeping out of the open wound.

Rapid inbound footprints made Zuko snap his head up to see a figured covered in black rushing towards him from the corridor they had just traversed with wide, psychotic eyes tearing through him while he clutched a large knife in his hand.

Zuko quickly drew back into his fighting stance as the figure descended upon him, his rapid breathing and wild laughter muted beneath Zuko's scream.

* * *

Toph smashed a large boulder into another one, smearing them both into a pile of rubble. Wiping the stream of sweat off her forehead, a wave of satisfaction ran over her.

She could feel the sun's rays blazing over the walls of the academy, and she could hear and feel people training throughout it now. Lucky for her, she did not have to instruct any lessons today, so she did not have to spend any more time here.

Even better, she had managed to rid herself of all her stress that had built up over the past couple of days. Though it took more effort than before, she managed to convince herself that she was happy for Sokka and Suki's relationship and Sokka's happiness.

Only now though did she realize how hog wild she went with her Earthbending, leaving behind craters, rubble and a splintered area that would take the trainees hours to clean up, even with Earthbending on their side. Sheepishly grinning, she walked back towards the academy building, hoping nobody came upon this area for a while.

Now she figured she would go eat and find her friends, not wanting to return home to her father.

The thought of stepping into the same house as that man was unimaginable. She frowned, feeling frustrated over his overprotective and downright controlling nature.

Usually, thinking of her father would make her angry, but her muscles didn't tense up and she didn't swell up with rage. Either she was too sore and tired from her workout for any more feelings, or its effects were still kicking.

As Toph walked along the sleek wooden floor, trailing her fingers on the wall to guide her, she felt a large hand grasp her shoulder. Immediately her eyes snapped open alive with horror, as her father vanished from her mind, replaced by a hauntingly familiar voice.

_But try another stunt like that again, and I promise you will get burned._

The pounding of the feet, the hands all over her, the feeling of the rope severing her wrists, it all came back in a wave. Underneath her outer core, her insides rumbled with fear, panic, and utter helplessness.

Not thinking, Toph quickly flung around, slamming her fist into the person's gut. Whoever it was gasped as his air supply expelled from their chest and he fell to the ground.

"Sokka!" Toph remained transfixed in her state, fear and uncertainty still written on her face as she heard Katara's voice radiate from in front of her. She heard her quickly walk over and help a gasped and coughing Sokka.

"Wah, what was that for?" Sokka sputtered as he struggled to regain his breath. Toph only partially registered with what he said, the rest of her petrified by the large, tightening hand that had once grasped her shoulder, asserting his control over her. She'd always thought she was invincible, unwavering, uncontrollable...but he'd proved her wrong.

Toph heard a gasp escape Katara's lips, and she assumed Sokka was glancing at whatever she was, for he fell silent too as he stood up.

"Toph, are you—"

"I'm fine!" Toph quickly snapped back as she ran her palm over her face, trying to hide the fear and now evident guilt and shame from punching Sokka. "Next time don't sneak up on me! I can't see on this floor!" Toph exclaimed in an unremorseful tone as she turned to face the siblings, raising one of her legs up, and pointing to her foot.

"Sorry bout that," Sokka sheepishly apologized. Upon hearing Sokka's voice, Toph felt all she had worked to bury in the area slowly begin to sprout out of the ground, like bamboo piercing its way through stone. She quickly turned around and began to walk back towards the exit.

"Just don't ever do that again," she said, doing her best to keep her voice steady. She heard the siblings follow her through the academy until they were outside. Toph let out a sigh as her feet reunited with the natural earth.

She never admitted it, nor would she ever, but she hated not being on earth. She felt helpless, just like she had three years ago.

Still, she refused to let that kidnapping experiences remain a part of her life. When she tried to bury it beneath the earth, it kept sprouting back up like an unkillable weed. Just the simple touch of Sokka's hand on her shoulder ignited the memories, made them grow back through the hard exterior she created to keep them buried.

Even three years later, she would sometimes wake up at night, sweating and breathing heavily, her ears telling her that someone was in the room with her. As irrational as the fear was, she pictured someone nearby, ready to throw her over their shoulders, leaving her helpless, under their mercy. Toph had gotten used to her captivity after she was given the freedom to torment her captors, but the very real sounds and feelings of her actually kidnapping were engraved in her mind...never sporadic but constantly turning in her core.

Desperate to rid herself of those traumatic memories, Toph turned her attention to the two siblings.

"What were you two doing there anyway?" she asked, more roughly than she had wanted.

"We wanted to check out your academy," Katara said in a slightly cautious voice, as if expecting Toph to throw her fist in her direction.

"It's not my academy. I just work there," Toph retorted as she leaned against the spherical entrance wall for the academy, her right foot tapping slowly against a small rock.

"Anyway, we were about to leave until we saw you, and then this happened!" Sokka exclaimed as she felt him pointing towards his chest. She couldn't help but roll her sightless eyes. For a warrior, he was pathetic sometimes. Such a whining child.

"Oh grow up, you big baby," she said as she turned her head, following a group of students that walked in front of her, giving them her infamous stare that they knew all too well. They quickly scurried into the academy, much to her satisfaction. She turned back to the her friends, sporting a grin as she felt the frantic and terrified feet disappear from her "vision."

"So Sweetness, where's the little Airhead?" Toph asked as she moved off the felt Katara look back to her. She must have been watching the students hurry inside, a look of either confusion or surprise marking her face at the effectiveness of Toph's stare.

"Oh, I don't know really. He never came back to the room," she said, a slight trail of concern slipping out of her mouth. Being the saviors of the world, they were given the hero treatment and placed into Gaoling's finest inn, which would pass as a high-class hotel from Ba Sing Sa's middle ring.

"Oh relax! It's not like Zuko is still the psychotic maniac that is trying to ruin the world's last chance of peace," Sokka said with a smirk. Toph groaned at his lame attempt of a joke and began to walk in the opposite direction, leaving a confused Sokka and an embarrassed Katara behind.

"Honestly Sokka," she sighed as she followed Toph. Sokka stood for a moment, clearly not knowing what either of them meant.

"Hey! Don't mind me if I'm remembering the good old days living out in the woods, dodging the Fire Nation, eating-

"Sokka, shut up!" Toph's patience was on thin ice. Not only did he bring back her buried memories, he reminded her of the only time in her life she felt utterly defeated.

Sokka didn't attempt to respond for once. The only sound was Toph's needy stomach instead, its grumbling low like a platypus bear. She needed food, and fast.

The trio walked through the now busier streets, chatting about last night's events. Toph remained particularly quiet around this topic, doing her best to forget what happened in the past. Yet there it always remained, faintly, in the back of her mind.

Her savior was carried by the wind as they passed a small cooking stand along the street, selling fresh breakfast pastries. Toph felt her stomach growl, pleading for food, which she eagerly agreed to as she motioned them towards the stand. The fresh sent of food always sent Sokka into a frenzy, especially when he was hungry. And sure enough, Toph felt Sokka run up to the stand, listing off a few of the delicious looking items that caught his eye. She shook her head, in annoyance or humor, she couldn't even tell. All she did know, at that moment, was that she knew Sokka all too well.

Even better than Suki, she liked to think anyways. She did not even bother to fight off that thought as she and Katara joined their hungry friend, too worried about fighting off the pounding hunger raging in her stomach.

They gathered their food and sat down outside an inn that was behind the food stand, digging into the flaky, sweet pastries. Toph left all her manners back at the estate, for she leaned back on the chair, resting her feet up on the table, one hand behind her head and her raspberry filled pastry occupying the other. She casually took bites out of it, though she was still careful to wipe away any that spilled on her face with her thumb, only to lick those off.

Her stomach welcomed the food, giving her body the nutrition and energy it needed after being depleted from her work out. She could also hear Sokka tearing into his meal, as if he had been deprived from food for a couple of days.

"That all you going to have?" Sokka said to his sister as he swallowed his food. Katara had opted for just a single pastry, while her brother had stacked up on four.

"I'm full," she causally stated. Toph leaned forward, resting the chair's front to legs on the ground as she grabbed her second item, this one topped with breakfast sausage. "But is that all YOUR going to have?" she teased her brother, and Toph thought she heard the voice also trail over her direction. She shrugged as she took a bite out of her food.

"I'm a growing man," Sokka answered, which made Toph swallow her food sharply, causing a laugh and cough to escape.

"I wouldn't call yourself a man yet," she laughed at Sokka's remark. She heard Katara also giggle, and Sokka grumble as she took a mouthful out of his food.

With the food in her belly now, she felt herself begin to relax, forgetting about everything that drove her mind to shambles before. Yet she couldn't help but now feel guilty, like she was keeping something important out of her life. Something special, something so real and vibrant it would feed her in a new way, make her grow like a towering oak tree reaching to the sky.

A sudden woosh and feathery, light vibrations coming from their left alerted Toph to a familiar presence, one who had evidently been absent sense last evening.

"Well look who finally decided to show up," Toph said as she felt Aang walk over to them. Katara pulled out a chair for her boyfriend, but in an instance, Toph felt Katara shift from her usual, happy self to one of worry and concern.

She focused on the vibrations that Aang was giving off as he walked towards them. They did not have the same life as they did, as if something was clogging them down.

"What's wrong buddy? I saved one for ya," Sokka said, his mouth full of food as he held out a pastry. Aang did not answer, he just walked over to the chair that Katara had pulled out for him and sat down.

""We have a problem," Aang said in a low, grim voice. Those grave words got all of their attention, as they all focused their attention on Aang.

* * *

**Begin Flash Back **

Aang opened his eyes, suddenly finding himself sitting on a smoothened stump that sat in the middle of the familiar swamp.

The Spirit World.

Yet, it felt nothing like he had remembered it. The last time he went into the spirit world, he felt a sense of peace, tranquility, and belonging.

None of that was evident here. The area around him was tense, like before lightning struck from the heavens. There was an eerie, thin mist seeping throughout the swamp, slightly disorientating the Avatar. He glanced up to see dark clouds slowly swirling around the sky like a tainted cyclone, yet there was no wind.

This wasn't right, and it made Aang very uneasy.

Taking in a deep breath and slowly letting it out, he cast his uncertainty aside. This was caused no doubt by the attacks on the shrines, but he didn't know that they would have such an impact on the spirit world. Determination marching across his face, Aang stood up.

He had to find Roku.

He moved his foot off the stump and into the cool swamp water. While stepping off the stump, an ominous moaning began to echo all around him, slowly raising in pitch and then slowly descending. The eerie sound had its own, unearthly echo to it that made Aang's neck hair shoot up on end as he tried to focus in on the unnatural sound, but he couldn't pin point it. What could make such a noise?

_The spirits must be in pain, _he thought as he began to run towards where he thought the noise was radiating from, his splashes cutting through the silence. However, the same noise came again, echoing all around him. He stopped, his feet making a small wave traversing in the direction he was going.

He couldn't waste his time looking for something he couldn't see. He had to find Roku; his mentor from his past life would know what to do.

Aang turned the other direction, when suddenly he felt like he was being watched. He slowly looked around, his eyes trying to catch what he knew was there.

As Aang began to take another, more cautious step, he caught a glimpse of something move beneath him. Maybe it was Roku in the water!

He looked down, and recoiled slightly in surprise. Instead of Roku, a dark, creepy figure stared back at him. It had the perfect silhouette of a human, but had no facial features. Just like a shadow….

He took a few steps back, fear clenching onto him as the figure slowly rose upright from the water, standing even to Aang's height, with more of it still in the reflection of the water. It rose, a ebony shape like a living, thick shadow. Making no sound, it stared at Aang...or he guessed it was staring at him. He wondered if it was breathing, if the shadow creature could see him.

"Hel-Hello?" Aang stuttered, finding the life and courage back in his voice. "Are you the spirit who's been moaning?" he asked, focusing on the being before him. The thing remained motionless, standing rigid in its position. Aang prepared to take a step forward, but he reconsidered, realizing that might not be the best idea, for he was slowly gaining the insight that this spirit wasn't friendly.

"Aang!" Aang sharply turned around to see his former life standing before him.

"Roku!" he exclaimed, lightened and happy to see his former life and friend.

The eerie moan echoed around them again, and Aang remembered the being he had now just turned his back too. He glanced back, only to find that it was gone. Out like a light, just like a real shadow. He slowly looked back to Roku, who was now standing a few feet away from him, his stern look mixed with an expression of mentorship and friendship.

"It is so good to see you Aang," he said, his powerful voice echoing around them now, giving Aang comfort. "I only wish it were under better circumstances," he added. Aang lookedslightly to his left and right, still feeling uneasy about that shadow, but then he looked Roku in the eyes.

"I know. Something terrible has happened in the Fire Nation, and now the Earth Kingdom," he said to Roku, who nodded his head sternly.

"I'm well aware of what has happened Aang. But are you? The spirit world has been calling upon you," he said, searching Aang. "I've been calling you."

Aang looked at Roku, not understanding what he meant. He had been calling him? Usually he came to him in his dreams, but the spirit world too?

Aang's eyes shot open as the realization hit him.

"The headaches!" he said as he put his hand on his forehead. Roku nodded his head as a feeling of shame and guilt flooded Aang. How could he not have known Roku was trying to contact him? The headaches started a few days after the winter solstices! How could he have not seen it before? He could have repaired the damager earlier!

"Don't worry Aang. What's done is done. Your duty to restoring the world's balance is your first goal." Roku nodded. "However, now this situation requires the Avatar's intervention." Aang slowly nodded his head, drowning the ill feelings he had. He is the Avatar, so he is responsible for both worlds, spirit and mortal. Had he focusing too much on the mortal world? No, Aang reasoned, he had saved the world from chaos and stopped a hundred year war. But the spirit world had been in trouble too...

"What's happened here? What was that thing?" Aang quickly asked as many more questions that demanded immediate answers raced through the Avatar's mind. Roku remained rigid, arms in his Kimono's sleeves.

"Once the shrines were destroyed, the spirit's attached to those shrines became very angry. They repeatedly left the spirit world and entered the mortal world, bringing death and destruction to everything in their path." Aang listened intently, though he could feel himself being torn in two upon hearing about the suffering both worlds had endured.

"This unbalance slowly affected the Spirit world. And over time, it became what it is now, slowly being consumed by the hate and rage from the other spirits," Roku explained to Aang, who looked back up at the dark clouds as they swirled overhead. The problems were interconnected, and he was beginning to suspect that the solution could be interconnected as well.

Roku's expression suddenly changed into one of thought, as if at a loss, looking past Aang.

"And I'm not sure entirely," he admitted, referring to the strange being Aang encountered awhile back. Aang followed Roku's gaze behind him, reassuring himself that that thing wasn't there. He turned back to see Roku's firm expression.

"The spirit world is under grave tension. The unbalance from the spirits going back and forth between the worlds, plus the damage done by the shrines, has caused many changes, none of which bode well for either of our worlds."

"Fire Lord Zuko said the man responsible claims he can control the spirits, but that's a lie," Aang said as he slightly scrunched up his face, disgusted at the very thought of someone causing so much pain and suffering. "No one can do that, can they? Who would do something like this?" he asked in a low voice.

"That I don't know, but indeed you're right. No one commands the spirits. They only command themselves, and with the line growing thinner-"

"Wait, the line is getting thinner?" Aang slightly gasped upon hearing this, hoping he had just misheard Roku.

"Yes. The boundary between the two worlds is dangerously thin Aang. If you do not mend the damage that is already done, the two worlds will merge and the results...will be disastrous," Roku warned, making Aang grow slightly pale. He gulped and nodded his head. But he knew it would be a near impossible task. If Admiral Qing was moving into the Earth Kingdom, the line could be completely destroyed before Aang could even get to the Fire Nation.

"The Earth Kingdom is also in danger. How am I supposed to defend its shrines while mending the damage in the Fire Nation?" Aang asked, hoping that Roku had any answers.

"Hmmm," Roku hummed, lost in thought. He was clearly thinking and pondering over what Aang had just told him.

"There is one spirit who can help you. But you will have to travel quickly to his shrine in the Oasis of Chin," Roku explained, making Aang smile a determined smile and stepping forward.

"Who?" he prompted.

"His name is Chikyu Yojinbo. He is the guardian of the Earth Kingdom, as well as the spirits that reside in the Earth Kingdom. He was created by the Earth Spirit, very near the beginning of time. He can call upon the other spirits to repel the attacks if they enter their shrine, but he must first be brought over to the world willingly, by the Avatar," he explained, his wisdom pouring out of every word he said.

Aang was relieved, for this would help him out greatly. All he had to do was guide Chikyu Yojinbo over to their world and warn him of the impending danger. Aang figured that the great spirit would already know of the danger, for he would no doubt feel it in the spirit world like he did.

"But Aang, you must order Chikyu to show restraint and demand that he order the other spirits to exercise theirs. They cannot be allowed to release their anger onto the innocent in the mortal realm if their shrine is besieged. They can only defend their shrines, nothing more." Roku warned in a grave tone. Aang nodded his head and bowed.

"Thank you Roku. I'm sorry I didn't see this before. I'll make things right again," he said in a stern voice, looking back up at Roku, who smiled back at Aang.

"I know you can Aang. You have proven yourself before that you are more than capable." He moved over to the side, exposing a smooth stump that he was standing on. Aang focused on his past life, watching Roku slowly fade into nothing.

"Once you speak with him, hurry to the Fire Nation." There was a pause as Roku disappeared completely from view.

"And if you need me, I will always be here. We all are." His voice softly echoed around Aang, like a graceful stream flowing into the mighty river of his mind.

Aang once again bowed out of pure respect for his former life and sat down on the log, crossing his legs and putting his two fists together.

He had to hurry and get his friends and go to the Oasis of Chin. Well, first he had to find out where this place even was. He took in a deep breath, and slowly let it out, feeling the world he currently was in, and envisioning the soft grass, the singing of the birds from the meadow where his body sat dormant. He felt the world around him began to stretch out, like he was falling.

Soon, the sound of chirping birds was all Aang could hear, the soft, slightly damp grass dancing around him in the morning breeze.

**End of Flash Back**

* * *

Toph, Katara and Sokka sat quietly as they listened to Aang's Spirit World journey that he undertook the previous night after he met with Zuko. They had moved out of town and were now sitting in their inn room, with the window's open to let the wind keep the afternoon heat from boiling the room. She sat on a cushion nearest to the door, legs comfortably sprawled out before her, while Sokka was leaning against the wall to her left. Katara was sitting on the bed, as Aang paced back and forth telling them what he had learned from his Spirit adventure.

Toph may understand how the mortal world works, but she never understood how the Spirit World worked, or the spirits for that matter. To her, it was all a bunch of mumbo jumbo that came in one ear and out the other.

However, from what she had just heard, and the urgency in Aang's voice describing their need to get to the Oasis of Chin and find this earth spirit, she even felt nervous. She wasn't the only one. Sokka and Katara both had it radiating off them like beaver-skunk , on the other hand, was surprisingly calm. Much calmer than she had expected, judging from the sound of his voice.

Aang had finished speaking, the room silent as they all took in what he had said. The only sound was the curtains slightly fluttering into the room with the breeze.

"And I thought Ozai was bad," she commented after the prolonged pause She had heard enough to know that this Qing character was dangerous. Not dangerous in regards to his power or agenda; but his attitude. Toph concluded that he was one of those kind of individuals who felt themselves invincible, untouchable from everyone, including the spirits. An arrogant man with power is a much more destructive mix than a wise man with power.

"Do we even know where this Oasis is?" Sokka asked Aang. The Avatar continued to pace and unknowing to Toph he shook his head.

"No. But we'll find it. We just have to be quick. The border between the two worlds could merge any day now," Aang replied.

Toph heard the beds springs squeeze and contract as Katara sat up from the bed.

"We'll be right behind you," she said, her determined voice coming distinctively close to where Aang was. Toph assumed that she was either hugging him or bracing for a kiss.

"I have to tell Zuko what I've found out before we go," Aang explained from the same area, confirming to Toph that Katara was probably embracing Aang.

"Then we shouldn't waste any more time here," Sokka grunted as he opened the room's door that lead out into the hallway of the two story inn. Toph rose to her feet and followed her friends down the hallway and eventually the stairs. As they descended into the entryway, she heard Sokka move to the entrance and open the door, and recoil, releasing a slight squeak of surprise.

"Zuko!" he managed to keep his voice manly enough, which humored Toph.

"Zuko. The spirit world is in trouble. I need to head to the Oasis of Chin to contact a spirit that can help the Earth Kingdom before I go to the Fire Nation," Aang quietly and quickly explained as they walked out into the village, hoping that no onlookers would overhear them. As they walked over, she felt Zuko walking funny, favoring his left leg and...his right arm felt...looser.

"Good, cuz Qing is here. He sent an assassin here to kill me," he said in a low hiss, catching everyone, including Toph by surprise.

"Wha-"

"It doesn't matter. What's important is that you get to the Oasis of Chin as fast as possible. From the assassin, we found a letter telling him to rendezvous with his forces after his mission was complete," he explained, his voice getting darker and darker, as if keeping his anger and frustration bogged down was becoming more difficult with each word. Toph felt Aang tense up at the mention of Qing's men already moving on the Earth Kingdom, and she felt herself tense up, worry and resentment coming over her at the thought of these savages burning down her country.

"Qing doesn't know what he is doing! If his men destroy those shrines, the boundary between the two worlds will be torn apart!" Aang nearly shouted. Toph felt Zuko's heart begin to accelerate upon hearing this revelation to the crisis. She heard Zuko stiffen out a frustrated sigh, doing his best to remain calm.

"That fool," he cursed. Toph couldn't help but feel bad for Zuko. He tried so hard to show the Fire Nation wasn't as evil as the world believed, but that difficult task was starting to look next to impossible.

"You don't need to worry Zuko. We can handle this," Katara reassured her friend in her overly determined tone. Toph nodded her head as she cracked her knuckles.

"Yeah! We will stop that Qing guy right in his tracks," she stated, sharing Katara's optimism.

"Toph, what about your parents?" Aang suddenly asked, catching the pumped-up Earthbender off guard. Toph did not even have to think about it.

"I've been cooped up for three years in that place," she replied towards Aang, a smirk drawn on her face as gave Aang a light-hearted punch on the arm. "And you guys need my help. Face it Twinkles: you're stuck with me for life," she chuckled as she crossed her arms over her chest, smirking at the wincing Avatar who now was rubbing his arm.

"You coming too Zuko?" Sokka turned his attention to the Fire Lord.

"No. I"m sure you all can handle it. I'm going to Ba Sing Sa to see King Kuei and personally inform him of these attacks. The Fire Nation has honor, and I will show it

Talk about overkill. Toph, much like the rest of her friends, knew Zuko was obsessed with his honor, but mixing his obsession with his country, now that was scary.

"You don't need to do that," Katara began to speak, but was cut off by Zuko raising his hand, unknowingly to Toph.

"I do Katara. This is the Fire Nation's mess, and I won't give that man the satisfaction of rekindling hostilities between these two countries."

"Then it's settled. We will go to the Oasis and contact this spirit, and Zuko will travel to Ba Sing Sa. After that, we will head to the Fire Nation to bring peace and balance back into the world!" Sokka said in an commanding tone, one that Toph had never heard before from the warrior.

So, a part of him did actually grow up. Toph felt Sokka swiftly move towards Zuko, catching the Fire Lord slightly by surprise by Sokka's posture.

"Zuko. We need a map of the Earth Kingdom," he demanded, in a tone that even surprised Katara and Aang.

"Of course, back on my ship," Zuko answered back. Sokka put his hand on Zuko's shoulder and nodded his head once, a determined look of a warrior now masking his face. Zuko nodded back, as Aang, Toph and Katara walked up next to them. The five of them together gave Toph a nostalgic feeling, one that she had missed, but did not know how badly till this moment. Returning home after the war had only left her with one regret: not being with her friends. She missed them, but now, she was back.

They were back.

As if on cue, Sokka extended his arms around all them the best he could and squeezed them all together, in a chaotic, lopsided group hug.

"All right! Team Avatar is back!" he cried happily, rising his fist in the air. Aang's light laughter escaped from his mouth as he echoed Sokka's feelings, while Katara laughed as well, pulling them closer together, despite being caught off guard and slightly embarrassed by Sokka's childish behavior. Even Zuko seemed caught up in the moment, though he was hiding it well under his Fire Lord get up. Toph could feel him relax within the hug.

Toph shared all of their expressions, but she suddenly felt Sokka's arm brush past her neck, sending a slight chill to run down the back of her spine. Her shared emotions soon focused solely on the night before, with Sokka's arm on her chest. She closed her eyes, trying to concentrate on Aang's laughter, but instead she only succeeded in allowing the heat to form under her now closed eyes, as well as the pang in her gut.

It was going to be just like old times. Well, maybe not exactly, with her crazy feelings that kept blooming for Sokka, but she would control them and focus on their mission. _Now stop blushing_, she thought as her giddy stomach and nerves began to settle.

Toph's mind began to relax as they slowly parted and began following Zuko quickly down the streets toward the airship.

"Really Sokka, I still don't think that name will catch on," Aang said with a humorous tone, making Katara and Toph both giggle, as Sokka began to radiate from embarrassment.

* * *

**The words "Chikyu" means Earth, and "Yojinbo" means guardian/bodyguard in japanese. So Chikyu Yojinbo litterally is the Earth Guardian. **

**Also, Toph's outfit is similar to the one she is wearing in "The Promise," but with shorter arm sleeves.**

**Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Let me know what you think and thank you for reading my story thus far :D**

**Stay tuned for Chapter 6 and Write on!**


	6. Chapter 6

** Enjoy Chapter 6!**

**Thank you to those who have read, and reviewed my story thus far! Means a lot!**

**I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender!**

* * *

Chapter 6

"How much longer?" Toph's whine cut through the calming atmosphere, making Sokka glance over to her. She was lying on the left side of Appa's saddle, away from the edge with her sleeping back laid out under her. From the position she was in, all curled up in a loose, comfortable ball, he assumed she was asleep.

He sat against the far side of Appa's saddle, watching a small cluster of clouds go by, the rolling hills rising and falling below them, stretching out over the horizon as they had left the outer edges of the Si Wong Desert, right on course to the Oasis.

Before they left Gaoling, Zuko had shown them were the Oasis of Chin was, and had marked it on their map; it was on the other side of the Earth Kingdom. Located between two mountain ranges in the northern parts of the Earth Kingdom, it was aday's travel east of Ba Sing Sa.

Aang had explained that the monks told him that this was one of the greatest areas of the world. It's natural beauty was unmatched, and parts of that region have been left uninhabited and undeveloped since the very beginning of time.

Sokka stretched his legs out, which resulted in his leg brushing up against his sheathed sword, moving it slightly against a sleeping Momo.

The lemur slowly opened his eyes and rose his head up, pointy ears slightly perked.

"Sorry Momo," Sokka said in a low voice as he grabbed his beloved space sword and put it his left side, away from the lemur. Seemingly satisfied by Sokka's apology, Momo placed his head on his folded arms and closed his eyes, drifting back to sleep. Sokka smiled as he watched the lemur fall asleep, and his grin only softened when he turned to put an arm on his sword. He thought he would never see it again.

After they returned Toph back home after the end of the war, they were all going to their separate ways. He however, did not want to go home. He wanted Aang to drop him off to the Wulong Forest.

He declared he was going to go find his sword and boomerang, alone if he had too. After a heated argument with his sister, a stubborn Sokka won out, and convinced Aang to bring him back to the rocky forest. The Avatar's help only went that far, for he had his own matters to attend to, and Katara would be going with him. That left Suki to help Sokka search for his Space Sword and boomerang for a week within the forest.

He closed his eyes at the reminder; it was a bittersweet memory, but one he had gotten over, after many sleepless nights and conflicted days.

"We should get their around tomorrow morning," Aang called back from Appa's neck. Toph groaned and shrank back down on her sleeping bag.

"Come on Toph! Embrace the freedom flying gives us,"Aang said with a laugh.

"Yeah sure. In case you forgot, I'm blind Airhead! All I feel is Appa shifting all over the place," she said in an agitated tone, making Sokka remember that it took Toph a couple of days of flying to get her body used to it. Her slightly green face only confirmed this.

Aang too seemed to realize this, for he saw his head popped up, looking back at his miserable friend.

"Woops. Sorry, Toph," he sheepishly apologized, which was responded by sharp, low grumbles from Toph. Thanking himself for not placing his stuff next to the air-sick Earthbender, Sokka looked back down at his map, trying to the best of his abilities to decipher the layout of the terrain in which they would be landing, in case of an attack.

Aang and Katara both stated he did not need to act so cautious, but he listened to his better judgment. He was also fortunate that he brought along his Water Tribe Armor. It was the same pattern as his older set, just sized up to fit him.

_It is important for a warrior's body, and mind to be prepared for battle at __any moment.__Plan for the worst Sokka, but always pray for the best. _

His father's voice echoed through his head. He was his greatest mentor, teaching him the ways of a warrior, a leader, a chief of the water tribe.

A man.

To Sokka, the true war hero of the tribe was his father. He was the one who lead their people against the relentless Southern Raiders, who left his family behind to fight the Fire Nation, who endured injuries and capture to ensure that their futures would be free of war and suffering.

Taking a sharpened whales tooth, he slightly traced a circle around the Oasis of Chin, leaving an evident indent so he could identify it.

"You need some water Toph?" Sokka looked up to see his sister standing before Toph with her water pouch in hand. Toph willingly took the pouch and began to drink from it. While Toph replenished herself, Katara held up another one towards her brother, who outstretched his hand for it. She softly tossed it toward Sokka who caught it in the air and opened the small latch. The water felt cool and refreshing against his mouth and throat as he gulped it down.

"Thanks Katara," Toph mumbled as she lay back down. Sokka felt a slight tang of pity for Toph, her discomfort clearly maybe it wasn't just the flying that had Toph feeling down? Sokka suspected she had some discomfort since the morning's incident at the academy. What was truly bugging her?

He could not get Toph's terrified look out of his mind, as if it was engraved like scripture on a stone plate. He should have known better than to approach Toph while she was on a wooden surface, his vibrations muffled from the smoothened wood. To her, he was a complete stranger, reaching out of the darkness and making a surprised quick motion, his larger hand forging to her.

Sokka's brows furrowed as the realization came out of the darkness, grasping him as he had held onto Toph. That look on her face, the way her legs shook, her sudden, sharp, and painful counter move.

He had scared her, and probably reminded her of a time she'd rather forget.

He sighed as he leaned back against the saddle, running his hand over his face and back over his hair. He felt his potentially bruised ribs, but he came into understanding and acceptance.

She had never talked to anyone about her kidnapping ordeal and always found a way around it when it was brought up. He understood that going through something like that would leave a scar on anyone, but Toph seemed, well, invincible. A sturdy, unbreakable rock that could never be moved, no matter how hard you pushed or pulled.

Regret tore through his conscious, wishing he had listened to his mind a little more, so he would have been able to support her; granted she might not have accepted it, but at least she would have known he tried. He should have noticed this.

He rested his head on both of his hands, staring down through the parchment map that was below him, as an old regret came back anew, burning through once again.

Frustration joined in with regret, churning into a potent mixture within Sokka as he clenched his fists. He could have saved her sooner, saved her from the torment that now still haunted her.

_Looking back on the past can be helpful, but dwelling on it will cloud your mind, tormenting you with choices you should've made, things you could have done. A man accepts what has transpired, good or bad, learns from it, and moves on. _

He looked back towards the horizon, as the sun's final rays of light fought to keep the world lit, stars slowly appearing in the sky as his father's words ran through the wind around him, vocal only to his ears.

Those wise words were not directed by chief to warrior, but by father to son, steering his mind in the right direction.

Looking back towards the saddle, he saw Katara putting a blanket over a now sleeping Toph, with her sleeping back near her feet.

He suddenly found himself wishing he could comfort Toph now, reassure her that everything would be okay, to hold her again, to-wait what?

What was that?

_Did….did I just….._

Sokka felt himself begin to blush as so many thoughts suddenly exploded in his mind. He wanted to be with her, he wanted to keep her safe, he wanted to make sure she was happy, he wanted her to feel better from her air-sickness.

Sokka shook his head, snapping his mind back into its "normal" state.

Sleep, yeah that was what he needed. Sleep. Him mind must be overtired. He stiffened out a yawn as he rolled up his map and put it into his knapsack and then loosened the bindings that held his sleeping bag together. As he rolled it out, he caught Toph rolling over in her sleep, her fierce power hibernating under an increasingly pretty girl.

_When did she start becoming so important to me?_ Sokka thought as a familiar, warm feeling seeped through him, recalling a bond he shared with someone before. As he closed his eyes, the image that ran through his mind in league with these feelings was replaced by Toph's sleeping image, fitting firmly in place like a missing puzzle peace.

* * *

Sokka winced as a sharp, stinging wind smacked him in the face like a ball of snow his sister used to throw at him when they were younger. It was mid-morning, and after a refreshing night's sleep, he was sitting up front with Aang, directing the Avatar where to go via the map.

They were defiantly in the Northern parts of the Earth Kingdom, right on course. And if his calculations were correct, The Oasis of Chin should be—

"There it is! The Oasis!" Aang cried out before Sokka, excitedly pointing forward.

Sokka glanced at Aang out of the corner of his eyes, his annoyance unnoticed by the oblivious Avatar.

"Right, now we should probably—"

"Aang! It's beautiful!" Katara shouted from Appa's saddle, interrupting Sokka. He turned around, glaring at his sister, who was staring at awe towards their destination, oblivious to her brother's frustrated aura.

"Why do you feel the need to do that?" Sokka asked his sister, his voice dripping with bitter annoyance. Still smiling, Katara glanced down at Sokka, his irritable expression forcing her smile to recoil into a stern and confused look.

"Do what? Come on Sokka, look! We made it!" she said as leaned over against Appa's saddle, staring down at him with a newly formed smile. Of course, they only heard what they wanted to hear. Still clearly irritated, he turned back and leaned against Appa's neck fur, crossing his arms over his growling stomach.

"Cheer up Sokka. You're going to be one of the first people to enter such a pristine sanctuary," Aang said with a cheery voice. Even Aang, who had been up all night flying, and acting serious, was even in good spirits.

Even though he was clearly annoyed at both him and his sister, Sokka couldn't help but feel his heart lift at the sight he saw before them.

In the horizon, to their left and in front of them, were larger mountains, stretching their limbs taller into the sky. Looking back, they had traveled to a higher altitude, but Sokka wouldn't consider it a mountain, just a flat, green and lively segment that was smoothed out, as if the two mountains pushed a valley up into the sky, an ancient attempt to reunite a lost relative to their glory.

Pine trees, thick with their needles, dominated the landscape, but generously left small clearings of lush, green grass. Oak trees also shared the terrain, but they were located more towards the actual shrine and oasis.

The Oasis was made of clear, clean and shimmering water that stood unmoving, almost like a sheet of glass that the blue, sparsely cloudy sky used to admire itself in. The water formed a near perfect oval shape, a few trees loosely scattered around the shore. Beyond the trees that sparsely made up the shore, was open grass, allowing the sun to bath its rays onto the mountain vegetation.

As they flew closer, Sokka could see that the Oasis sunk into the ground slightly, leaving a little drop off from the grassy shore.

Two small, granite pillars stood guard over the water, a rocky pathway leading from it towards an old, granite built structure that was obviously the shrine itself. Made out of a brown reddish stone, the structure had a smoothed-out wall, probably seven feet high, surrounding the shrine, twenty feet across, except for the archway that led into the shrine itself, the rocky pathway from the water running up and through the archway into the shrine.

From what he saw as Appa descended to the ground, there was a single, reddish brown building, that had a single point on the center of the roof that arched downward within the walls. The structure itself looked small enough to hold one person, or a statue of some kind.

As the ground become even closer, Sokka stood up and crawled past his sister onto Appa, only to see Toph leaning against the left saddle, her head staring at the closing surface below. Even though she was blind, he knew that she could see a clearly, more beautiful oasis than any of them could ever see. He smiled as he walked over to his stuff and began pulling out his fishing pole, thankful that he brought it with him on their journey to Gaoling to see Toph.

They hadn't planned for a long travel like this, and they departed rather quickly from Gaoling, not enough time to gather food or supplies. With the fishing rod though, they would have a full meal in no time.

Well, that is until he can get his fishing wire untangled, his eyebrow slightly twitching as he laid eyes on the jumbled mess that was supposed to be attached neatly to his fishing pole.

Grumbling, he began digging through the knots and seemingly endless loops while he felt Appa slowly rise up in the air, and then settle, his six legs gently landing on the ground. This graceful landing from a ten-ton flying bison, however, could not be matched by a blind Earthbender, who jumped from Appa's saddle and landed with a ground-shaking thud on the ground, disturbing some birds from their peace and quiet.

"Ahhhh! Finally!" she exclaimed in relief. Sokka couldn't help but chuckle at her remark as he discovered a nasty snarl that seemed unfixable. Suddenly, he worried that there weren't any fish in the water, seeing as it was only an extremely clear and calm pond. If that were the case, he'd have better luck of hooking a flying bird than wasting his time on this mess.

He grabbed his sword, and put it over his back, tightening the strap around his chest to ensure that it stays in place. Checking to make sure his boomerang was still in its little holster on his hip, he grabbed his sleeping bag and fishing pole and joined the others on the dewy, soft and lush green grass.

"It's really tranquil," Katara commented in an astonished voice as she looked over the Oasis from their landing spot, which was right inthe clearing that was in-between the water and the thicker trees. The pines and oaks behind them were not as thick, but Sokka could see that the farther in, they grew tremendously thicker.

"No kidding," Toph added as she slowly walked around, letting her feet get acquainted with this new, soft ground. "For a mountain, this place is teaming with life. I can hear birds that I've never heard before," she added, as a merry chirping sound rang out from one of the trees.

As Sokka walked towards the water, he felt his legs slow, almost to a crawl, as the birds soon began to come to life, their hypnotic, beautiful melody's ringing softly in his ears. The soft, cool mountain breeze tickled his face, keeping the heat from the sun at a comfortable level. This was truly a sanctuary, a safe haven for those who know about it, and can get to it.

Taking in the sights, his eyes fell upon the two small pillars that stood rigid near the water, between them the pathway that lead back to the shrine. On top of them looked like some sort of statue.

As he began to walk towards the water, he almost missed Aang slowly walking towards the frozen figures, his face lacking all sense of emotion. Sensing something was up, Sokka ventured over the Avatar, along with Toph and Katara who seemed to share his unease. Aang came up to the base of the statues and stared into them. As Sokka got closer, he could make out the figures on top of the pillars.

Facing the Shrine, their backs turned to the water, were a pair of bulls. It was odd, for the bulls looked identical, and were sitting on their hindquarters, as if watching over the shrine in an eternal guardian.

"That Chikyu?" Katara asked Aang while she took in the finely detailed statue. Aang lowered his head and let out a calm breath.

"I honestly don't know, but this is the right place," he said as he turned his head to Katara. She smiled back at him, but Sokka did not notice. He was looking over the beautifully carved Earth Kingdom symbol on the side of the bull, taking in the fine craftsmen ship.

"Sooo you have to talk to some spirit now right?" Toph said, her voice mellow, but slightly dragged out. Sokka tore his eyes away from the statues and looked at the Earthbender, who was standing to his left, staring blindly past the two statues. The thoughts of last night suddenly came back, as if they were on his mind the whole time.

_She's always been important to you._

Sokka quickly jerked his head away as he felt his face slightly heat up, completely forgetting she could not see. Instead, he looked over into the lake, and his eyes nearly bulged out at the side of large, healthy looking fish swimming around in it.

"There's fish in the water!" he exclaimed as he began fiddling with the mess of his fishing line.

"What? Sokka you probably shouldn't do that. These fish are probably part of the shrine." Katara' s stern voice carried as she glared daggers down her brothers back. The only thing Sokka could hear now was the rumbling in his stomach, telling him that he had not eaten a full meal since breakfast that day before.

"Actually Katara, they aren't. There's an underground stream that leads to the river a few miles that way." Toph stuck her right arm out rigid, pointing in the exact direction she was referring to. "So, if there are any fish in there, they are probably from the river."

Finally making some head way on his mess, Sokka turned back and smiled at his sister.

"See, Toph says it's alright," he teased as he turned back and took out another knot from the line.

"Just hurry up and get some food, Meathead. I'm starving," Toph stated as she began to walk back towards Appa, who was now the center of attention for the birds of the area, as they had all landed on the resting giant to soak up the rays with him.

Katara snorted as she crossed her arms, her turn to share the irritated look that her brother had earlier.

"I guess then I'll get camp set up," she said as Sokka heard the sound of a quick kiss. Finally breaking through his line, Sokka stood up and turned back at his sister and Aang, only to recoil with a surprised yelp as he saw their lips connected, eyes closed in a passionate kiss with Aang's hand around the back of her head, softly embracing her.

Sokka's gagging noises earned him a flaring one-eye glare from his sister, who slowly parted away from Aang, only to look back on the Avatar's glowing eyes, which matched hers.

Aang took no notice of Sokka's antics as he hugged Katara, and then he slowly began to walk up to the shrine.

Recovering from the onslaught of the kiss, Sokka only flinched again as Katara snapped her head back at him, an irritated look flaring across her face as she walked back to Appa in a huff.

Convinced Katara would not freeze him with the water, he gathered up his stuff and began walking around the Oasis, scouting out the best place to fish. Sokka estimated that the little, oval pond itself was fifteen feet in diameter, but it was surprisingly deep. He could see the bottom because it was so clear, but it would be over his head if he jumped in the middle of it.

After walking around the pond for some time, he finally found the perfect spot. It was on the other side from the shrine, and one of the few spots near the shore that had sun light bathing it in warmth.

Rigging his bait on the hook, he stretched out on the edge of the shore and cast the line out into the water, taking in the peace that surrounded this mystically tranquil area.

As the lure sank to the bottom of the pond, tempting the fish to take the chance, he heard that familiar voice back in his head again, repeating what it had told him the night before.

_She's always been important to you. _Toph _was_ important to Sokka, she was his best friend, a member of their gang, their family.

_Maybe she's more important than that. _His inner voice rattled his brain. Toph? That couldn't be.

He focused on the water, the chirping of the birds, anything to get the crazy thoughts out of his mind. He felt uncomfortable with them rambling around in there, yet they felt comfortably familiar to him. He trusted her with his life, same as everyone else.

_But you've told her things you'd never tell anyone else._

That was true. He did share personal information with her, and she did with him. They really did trust each other, as if it were natural.

As Sokka sat there and fished, he listened to the wind, observed his surroundings, and as time went on, he even tried to memorize the calls of the birds. However, this could not calm the re-evaluation of his thoughts.

"Fish biting, Snoozles?"

Sokka slightly jumped as he turned to see Toph, a bored smile on her face as she walked up next to him and sat down, crossing her legs and resting her head on her arm that was propped up on her knee. His surprise and all his chaotic thoughts left his mind in her presence. He was also surprised to see how much time had passed. The sun was now directly over them, his shadow beginning to form to his left.

"You must be bored," he said as he began to reel in his hook, hoping that there was a fish on it. He heard Toph groan with her mouth closed as she fell on her back out of her position.

"You have no idea," she complained dully as she began picking her toes. "Sure, it's way better to be out with you guys, but I didn't know it'd be this dull."

Sokka chuckled, but quickly gulped as his hook came up, naked without it's bait. Either the fish were messing with him, or he completely spaced out. Not willing to admit to Toph that he failed to notice the fish biting, he swiftly attached more bait to his hook and casted it out into the water.

"Well, considering the alternative, dull is actually a good thing," he said in a slightly obnoxious voice, sticking a finger in the air as he grinned at her. Her expression was stone, unmoving as it stared unseeing towards the sky. Satisfied with her toe picking, she positioned her hands behind her head and rested her left foot on her knee.

"Ehhh, I guess," her voice trailed off as Sokka looked back towards the water, observing the fish as his bait teased them. Though he looked intently focused on his fish, he found himself slowly losing interest, Toph's presence pulling his attention in like quick sand. He felt himself relax, his shoulders sagging and his body becoming lighter; he felt peaceful and comfortable as is he was home...and he had not felt like that around anyone, except Suki.

The comparison hit Sokka like a wet kiss on the cheek, a blush soon taking over as he looked over at Toph, who was still laying down, a long blade of grass hanging out of her mouth.

Did he like Toph? The feelings were almost identical to the ones he felt with Suki, but they were also different. Though both of them were extremely pretty, he could handle Toph's teasing nature better than Suki's. He trusted Suki and Toph with his life, but now, he found himself trusting Toph much more than he did with Suki.

He had to force himself with all his will power to not slap himself in the face for his idiocies.

Looking back on everything, it made so much sense to him that he liked her, but did she like him back? He wanted to know, wanted to answer these burning questions ignited years ago, to put out this flame that burned him with wonder. How would she react?

"You okay there, chief?" Toph asked, bringing Sokka back to the present. "Your hearts beating like a Deer rabbit. You finally catch something?" her voice rose with excitement as she sat up.

Now or never. "Toph…."

He felt a lump in his throat form, preventing him from asking or saying something, anything. She turned her head slightly to his direction, waiting for a response, her face slowly turning to anticipation, as if reading this thoughts through the earth. Feeling the nervous sweat panic sweep over him, he quickly gulped and looked away towards the pond.

"….sorry about yesterday, at the academy." He slowly said, throwing his instincts out the window. This was stupid. Even if his feelings were genuinely real, she wouldn't share them. He was her best friend, nothing more. She probably saw him as her pal, loved him like a brother, Sokka guessed**.**

"Oh," Toph said, looking back at the sky, her legs falling back to the ground softly.

"I didn't mean to—"

"It's fine Sokka," she said in a slow, firm voice. He glanced back down at her, only to see her face blank, eyes half closed, as if recalling events from the past. She slowly closed her eyes completely and let out a slightly shaky breath.

"He was just brining me back home to get his butt kicked," she said in a lighter tone as she sat up, a slight smirk drawn on her face. Her sudden mood change made Sokka half-smile. As tough as she was, it was clear that she was still suffering from her past ordeal. If only there was some way to help the stubborn girl.

"Sure he was, but we just helped you speed up the process," Sokka said in a sarcastic tone, a smile on his face as he tried to lighten the mood. This earned him a strong yet playful shove from Toph's right arm, nearly knocking him over.

"Ha! I distinctly remember saving you and fan girl's butts from being roasted!" Toph laughed. Sokka let out a good-hearted protest as he lightly shoved Toph back, barley moving the sturdy bolder.

"Who saved your butt from those guards?" se playfully teased back. Toph's playful expression met his, surprising Sokka with that slight shade of pink on her cheeks.

_Could she be…._

"You give yourself too much credit there, chief. Trust me, I had everything under control," she chuckled again, pushing him completely over this time. Laughing, Sokka slowly sat up, only to see Toph shifting back towards the water, her head bowed down slightly. Sokka quickly considered that she may have mood swings because of the stress from her kidnapping, but even his logical mind found that hard to believe.

"Anyways," she said as she sat up right, taking a deep breath as Sokka sat himself next upright, grabbing his fishing pool.

"What's up with Suki?" Her voice struck Sokka as uncharacteristically low, almost as if she regretted asking.

Sokka regretted hearing it, for Suki's the hurt, and the angry expression came flooding back into his mind, a daunting memory that was left frozen in time to be forgotten. He let out a small sigh, one that caught Toph's attention, making her turn her head slightly in his direction, waiting for a response.

Gran-Gran, along with his father had told him talking helped people coop with their issues. Once again, he felt himself preparing to tell Toph something no one else knew. She deserved to know the full truth, how and why it happened. And by doing so, he hoped that his own questions could be answered.

"Look," he said as he shifted, turning his body slightly to his left, facing Toph. "Me and Suki, are-Argh!"

A sudden jolt of pain shot through his left shoulder as he felt the arrow embed itself in the armor that protected his shoulder. The impact and surprise sent him flying into the water, leaving a surprised and shaken Toph on the surface.

* * *

Toph felt her blood run cold as she heard Sokka's cry of pain, feeling him leave her field of vision only to splash in the water.

"Sokka!?" she called out as she quickly stood up. As she moved her feet, she felt a number of figures rushing forth from the woods behind them. The adrenalin heightening her senses, she felt the vibration shoot down a figure's body; the motion he made instilled in her mind an archer. Not thinking, she outstretched her hands and slammed her left foot on the ground, feeling the earth and pulling it up to shield her as she spun her body around. Sure enough, she felt the arrow slam into the earth she bent up.

Her ears told her just as much as her feet; she could hear battle cries, both loud and muffled, and the distinct whooshing of fire soaring from where they were located. Firebenders.

The Rebels. They were here, and they had caught them completely by surprise. She growled in frustration as she bent up pillars of rock, sending three enemies that were descending upon her and Sokka back into the trees. If she hadn't been working herself up to talk to Sokka, to apologize, to say anything to him, maybe they wouldn't be in this mess. She had been too preoccupied with him to worry about enemies...maybe they had both been too concentrated on each other...

No time to think of that now, as a wave of worry flooded over her at the thought of Sokka, his cry still rattling her ears.

Sharp sputtering and gasping released her anxiety as Sokka came to the surface, a loud snap like branches breaking radiating from his shoulder as he broke the arrow off. As she felt him step on the ground, relief washed over her, as he felt normal, for Sokka's standards anyway. Satisfied that he was alright, she cut straight to the chaos at hand, putting her previous thoughts behind.

_That can wait for later, _she told herself as she bent another rock and shot it back into the trees.

"Toph! Katara is exposed out there, set up a wall so we can channel them into one area," he commanded as she heard him unsheathe his sword, power and confidence radiating from him. Toph couldn't help but drop her jaw how much more, confident, stronger, and protective Sokka obviously felt.

Toph had the wall bent up around their camp before Sokka could finish his sentence; she left the flank open, an open way to the Shrine, so Aang could run back. Toph failed to notice Aang's light vibrations anywhere around Katara, or the shrine for that matter.

Feeling heavier, eager footsteps coming towards them, she slammed her fists into the column she sent up before, sending it into the soldiers. As the column flew towards her targets, Toph heard a sizzling whoosh from in front of her, and felt the heat of fire coming closer. Using her already fitted stance, she felt the earth underneath her feet and quickly snapped her arms right, extending a small pillar of earth up, ejecting her into the air. She felt the fire fly past her, and almost immediately after heard the soldier curse as Sokka descended upon him. A loud thud followed.

Turning her attention to the surroundings, her sharp hears heard the clanking of armor, and the whoosh of the fire flying, the roar of Appa, and the sound of splashing water. They were in the camp!

Feeling herself descend toward the surface, she opted to enter with some shack and awe. Bringing her knees to her chest, she brought them down with all her might, sending a wave of earth and dust rippling out all around her. The surprised shouts and cries of pain were music to her ears, telling her she had caught them by surprise.

"You brat!" she heard as she felt a soldier quickly jump to his feet, a spear in hand as he rushed forth to her. Her grinned only widened as she turned the upper half of her body around while cupping her hands together and snapping themupward, sending a pillar up with the soldier, catapulting him right into the middle of the lake.

Sending a boulder up to block a wave of fire, Toph made a dash to the camp, Earthbending herself up over the wall and landing with a ground-shaking thud.

She counted at least twenty-eight pairs of feet, and currently there were seven within the wall she set up. Katara was near the pool of water, but she could also feel the Waterbending master pull water from the grass. She felt Appa grab onto a soldier with his leg, the horrified screams muted over his mighty roar as he chucked the soldier into the air. Feeling a soldier lunge at Katara's back, Toph slammed her heel into the ground, sending the soldier into the air. Calculating where he would land, she slammed her opposite foot into the ground, forcing a pillar of grassy earth upward. A loud and painful grunt confirmed that she had hit her mark, and the vibrations his unconscious body gave off were satisfying.

"Where's Aang?" Sokka shouted as Toph heard his sword clash with his opponent, the Space Sword overpowering the weaker, fragile cousin. Toph thrust her upper body towards the entrance, sending up four boulders and hurling them at the enemies. While she glided her feet across the ground, through all the chaos, she felt Aang's silent heartbeat coming from the shrine, his soulless body still and vulnerable.

"He's still out cold!" Toph called back as she clapped her hands together, closing the entrance shut, buying them some precious time. She felt Sokka's opponent fall to the ground, disarmed and unconscious while Katara bent a stream of water around her body like a whirlpool. She swiftly pelted her fingers forward, striking the remaining soldiers in the head with jets of water, knocking them out of the fight. The cracking and creaking told Toph that she froze them into position for good measure.

"We need to get him out of the spirit world!" Katara cried back, her determined voice giving off a hint of concern for her defenseless boyfriend. Then a gasp as she saw soldiers across the pond from them.

Toph felt them too; they were making a run for the shrine! Before she could react, she felt Katara sharply throw her hips back and forth with her arms, followed by a large, wet explosion, and deep war cries from Katara as a large wave washed over those soldiers. War cries instilled by passion and ferocity to protect her boyfriend.

"Katara! Toph! Cover me! I'll get Aang," Sokka shouted as he sprinted past them, over to the shrine.

Toph nodded her head and focused on her surroundings. Shecould feel the soldiers beginning to move around the wall, as well as a large quantity gathering around her creation. She slammed her foot on the ground, sprouting a boulder up on her she prepared to launch it over the wall, a thick, charcoal-like smell met her nose. It registered with her mind like a mountain slide. They were burning the forest. And no doubt, the shrine

"Katara! The fire!" Toph shouted as she launched her boulder into the air. As she slammed her other foot on the ground, she felt the hair on the back of her neck stand rigid. A loud, ominous cracking and popping sound began radiating from behind the earth-made wall.

As Toph continued with her bending and the unknown popping became more intense, she felt Katara tense up, her heart rate beating through her skin.

"Look out!" she screamed before a thunderous explosion muted her voice. The segment of the rocky wall exploded into the camp, the shock wave knocking Toph and Katara to the ground.

Ears ringing, Toph felt the soldier's sprint into the camp, their hearts beating loudly like the drums of war. Following them in like a black evil wave, Toph smelt the strong, black chard smoke of the fire, the smell of fresh grass and wood burning that tingled and tainted her senses. Narrowing her eyes fiercely like a lion, she slammed her palm on the ground, sending a rock in the air.

She quickly rolled to her left on her back and thrust her hands in the air, shooting at a soldier who was literally about to toast her like a piece of bread. Jumping up to her feet, she proceed to bend a large column in front of her, shielding her from a wave of fireballs blasted from the advancing rebels.

The explosion must have caught Sokka's attention, for she felt him running back, throwing his boomerang towards the crowd of rushing enemies. Katara stood in her fighting stance; unknown to Toph was the fire and fortitude in her eyes as she twisted and maneuvered her body and arms, gracefully yet powerfully bending the water from the pond, only to project it forcefully towards her enemies.

Not giving her opponents any breathing room, Toph slammed her shoulder into the column, sending it crashing into seven soldiers, burying them under a mountain of dirt and debris. They were going to win this, no matter what.

Suddenly, a sharp and frantic cry of pain rang out through Toph's sensitive ears as she felt Katara fall practically to the ground, clutching her right hip, an arrow imbedded in it.

"No!" She heard the fortitude in Katara's rough voice as she blasted a soldier with a jet of water, sending him crashing into the wall.

Feeling her friend hurt only brought renewed strength into Toph, as her sightless eyes flashed with anger as she bent the pile of rubble towards the soldier's advancing on the wounded Waterbender.

"Katara!" he screamed, concern and anger radiating from his deeper voice. As Toph jumped to the left, dodging a fireball and launching a boulder to a sword man in front of her, she felt Katara struggling to stand back up; she must have been struggling to surge more water towards more enemies, who were taking advantage of her weakened state.

Before Toph could counter attack, Toph felt all six of Appa's feet crash in front of her, bending a wave of air at the attackers in front of her and some of Katara's sending them flying into the wall or out of the camp. Toph absorbed more of the surroundings, and sure enough, sitting in the tree lines, she felt the lonely figure, his cool, icy heartbeat as he drew back another arrow.

Sokka must have seen him too, for when she felt the arrow released, she heard metal meet wood as he cut the arrow in half, shielding his sister from a fatal attack.

"That coward! I'm going to kill him!" Sokka shouted, rage taking over his body. Toph felt her face drain of color slightly as she felt Sokka's rage pulsing through him; he wasn't lying. This side of Sokka, one she had never thought even possible from the warrior, unnerved her.

"Toph!" His commanding voice caught her attention as she felt him knock another soldier to the ground, bashing his head in with his foot, knocking him out. "Launch me at him!"

"We need to get Aang!" Katara quickly interjected in a painful hiss as she sent ice at a Firebender only to have him melt it. She grunted in pain as she tried to dodge the incoming wave of flame, but Sokka grabbed her and dove out of the way with her in his arms. Before he could counter attack, Appa jumped in front of them, shielding them from some stray fire bolts. Roaring in rage, he charged the attackers, making them fall back in a panicked mess.

As Appa shielded the siblings, Toph felt Aang's calm yet steady heartbeat. At least he is okay.

However, she also felt five figures making their way to the shrine, stomping and thrusting their arms in the direction of the plant and tree life. Her heart began to beat faster as she realized they were deliberately attacking the Oasis and shrine, hoping to burn it, and Aang, to a crisp. Her mind screaming over Aang's safety, she quickly thrust her hands up and began swiftly snapping her wrists left to right, encasing the Avatar in a protective earth sphere. That should hold him for the time being.

Turning back to Katara and Sokka, she was surprised to see her standing, still putting pressure on her leg and rotating her hip, despite the tremendous pain she must be in. Sokka was standing in front of her, deflecting the volley of arrows and fire blasts sent toward them. She could feel his hardened stare snap back to her occasionally, waiting and demanding.

"Come on Toph! Someone's got to take him out!" he snapped at her. She then felt his face and upper body slightly relax.

"Go get Aang! We'll be fine." His softer, determined voice coming back to life.

It still sounded foreign to her, the anger radiating from it. She could only nod her head and bend up a bump in the earth, shooting Sokka into the air towards the archer. Not giving any time to think over what she just did, or what she felt or heard, she began bending more earth towards her enemies, only to have Katara's sharp voice tear through her concentration.

"I'll be fine here! Go get Aang! Hurry!" She shouted as she continued to bend more water at her opponents. Hearing the desperation and commanding nature in Katara's voice, Toph sprinted towards the shrine, the smell of chard leaves and wood getting stronger with each step.

* * *

The image of the arrow sticking in his sister's hip, the blood slowly oozing out of the wound, was still painted freshly in his mind as Sokka flew up into the air, flying towards his target. Muscles tense, mind sharp and focused, face twisted into raw determination, a hint of darkness stretched across it, he was ready to unleash all his furry on the man who tried to kill his sister.

Clearing the wall and the tree line, the ground quickly began to meet him as he spotted the man, the shadow standing next to a tree near the forest line, his bow drawn.

Before Sokka could react, the arrow was already flashing in front of his face. Turning his whole body to the left, his chest facing the sky, he narrowly avoided the arrow; the sharpened edge cut the surface of his cheek, drawing a slight trail of blood.

Landing ungracefully on his back with a grunt, momentum carried him forward as he rolled on the ground. Squeezing his abs, he forced himself in a sudden stop, using the added momentum to throw his boomerang at his target. As if foreseeing his move, the archer swiftly stepped behind the tree, only to reappear on the other side with another arrow already drawn.

Sokka gasped as he jumped to the left, still hugging the ground. The archer's skill haunted him**. **He didn't even take time to aim at Sokka, he just turned and fired, a living weapon with that bow no doubt. However, without it he would be a sitting duck. Smiling at his opponent's weakness, he sprang up from the ground, sword drawn back by his right shoulder. Placing his left palm along the hilt of the sword, he charged towards his opponent, trying to predict his next move as well as planning his attack.

A tan face with red paint covering the eyes and forming around the bridge of the nose and the cheeks stared coldly back at him as he tensed up, swiftly drawing an arrow and firing.

This time, Sokka was ready.

In a swift motion, he cut the arrow aside and swung his sword back, aiming at the archer's exposed gut. The archer quickly jumped back, avoiding Sokka's attack as he pulled two arrows out and fired them at the same time while still in the air.

Catching Sokka by surprise, he ducked and rolled behind a tree as a third arrow grazed the bark of the tree, barley missing his right arm that held his sword. Thinking radically, Sokka quickly concluded he would have to take a drastic chance to destroy the bow.

Sticking the razor sharp edge of his blade into the bark, he swiftly maneuvered around the tree, envisioning the pointed arrow he would likely meet and stare in the face. He plotted to cheat death once again.

As he rounded the corner, he saw the archer with his bow drawn, standing a few feet farther than expected. The archer immediately fired his arrow as if on automatic. Almost simultaneously, Sokka ripped his sword out of the tree, sending a shower of bark over his enemy, blinding his vision. While his sword left the bark, he fell to his knees, his momentum carrying him under the arrow as it glided by, inches above Sokka's head.

He snapped his head up in a grin as he saw the archer jumping back again, two more arrows loaded, ready to fire. He had him right where he wanted him.

The moment the archer fired his arrows, Sokka swung his sword to the left, cutting them in half. He then swung in the other direction, only this time, letting go of his sword. He was close enough where he knew the archer would not expect him to throw his only source of offense, as well as defense.

The surprise was clearly drawn on the archer's face as he tried to recoil while in midair as Sokka's sword sliced right through the bow. A wave of sweet satisfaction raised Sokka's moral.

Watching his sword fly into the bark of a nearby oak, he took off towards it, but was cut off by the archer, now wielding two large daggers. The archer jumped his way and lunged towards him with his new hidden weapons. Sokka could see that he was not at home using the daggers, but in his current situation, he also had the advantage over Sokka.

Dodging left and right, Sokka avoided the swift jabs, lungs, and swings from the archer's daggers, occasionally thrusting his fist up to block attacks.

While avoiding fatal slices, Sokka tried to shift around to get an opening to his sword. The archer annoyingly kept his ground, cutting Sokka off and forcing him to withdraw to avoid a dagger to the stomach.

He couldn't keep this up forever; they both knew it. Something had to give.

As Sokka dodged to the left, avoided a swift jab and slash across the face, a gleam of light caught his eye, radiating from the forest floor. He glanced towards the source of the light, and immediately broke for it, recognizing his boomerang that he threw before. Upon seeing Sokka move back, the archer chased him, but Sokka was quicker, for he was already grabbing his boomerang and sliding on the ground to face his rushing attacker.

The enraged archer swung his left arm, aiming for Sokka's head as he let out a loud growl while putting his right arm back in preparation to stab at his exposed gut.

With a weapon in his hand, Sokka could retaliate, finally, and gain the upper hand.

Taking his boomerang, he slapped it around his outer wrist and pushed forward, making him unbalanced. He grabbed the archer's right hand and twisted it, causing the silent archer to wince in pain.

Immediately, he used both his hands and the unbalanced feet of the archer to turn his body slightly. The archer's eyes lit up as he realized his mistake.

Sokka rose his left leg and kicked him in the gut, sending him to the ground.

Taking his chance, Sokka sprinted past the archer and pulled his sword out of the tree. Feeling mighty, like a king when he wears his crown, he turned into his stance, facing the archer, who now stood before him, his eyes narrowed dangerously as he rose his two daggers up in a fighting stance, waiting for Sokka's next move.

_Time to finish this._ Sokka met his cold gaze as he charged forward, tackling the challenge head on.

* * *

Toph grunted as she bent another piece of earth towards the Firebenders. She was outside the archway of the shrine, her back to Aang, doing her best to fight both the Firebenders and the fire that was slowly encasing itself around her. That fire brought another opponent to the battle: the smoke. Like a toxic river, it seeped into her lungs with every breath, polluting her young, powerful lungs.

Her lungs trying to filter out the smoke from the fresh air, Toph slammed her foot on the ground, frustration and anger seeping around her like the smoke.

"Come on, Twinkletoes!" she yelled as she punched the column into a Firebender, hoping Aang would hear her as sweat ran down her face. In her attempts to calm the Firebenders and bend dirt over the fire, she rediscovered why she hated these guys so much. She never had a good indication as to where the fire strikes from; she had to rely on her other methods of indication. This only proved harder due to the heat and sound from the fire around her, slowly eating away the Oasis.

She let out another frustrated grunt as she slammed her palm on the ground, sending a pillar up to crush against the chin of a soldier, plummeting him into unconsciousness.

Dodging another blast and debating whether she should pound Aang back into the mortal realm, she suddenly felt him shift within the sphere.

Finally! As she felt Aang reborn into his mortal self, she felt him shatter the protective sphere she created around him, his confusion replaced by shock and horror seeping through him, as if he knew this was happening all along…..

She smiled to herself as she heard Aang's fists discharge fire blasts at the gasping and now surprised enemies. As he landed next to Toph, he bent a column of air, blowing the rebels against trees and down by the water.

"How is everyone?" he asked as she felt him take his stance, which she mimicked in her own. While she felt his raw power shifting through him she also felt...something else...shame?

"We're holding are own, but Katara's hurt," Toph explained as the two of them launched a boulder at a solider, sending him into the water. She felt Aang's heart stop beating for a split second, but then it began to speed up as he took in her words.

"Katara's hurt!?" he frantically shouted as he began to bend more earth and air at the enemy with the most profound force.

She could feel him being torn in two. He wanted so badly to check on his girlfriend, but he also felt he had to protect the Oasis, carrying out his duty.

Toph slammed her foot on the warm ground, feeling out to the camp, where Appa, Momo and Katara were still fighting. The majority of the attackers were still there, but they were still holding their own.

Toph frowned at the thought Aang's duty to the world took priority over the ones he loved. He should be there helping Katara, and besides, she could put out the fire just as easily as he could.

"You go," Toph suddenly snapped as she pushed Aang forward with her rigid strong arm.

"They need your help more than I do," she clarified as she slid her left leg forward and lunged her elbow in the same direction, causing a wave of dirt to extinguish a patch of flame.

She could feel him looking back at her, a face of uncertainty probably on his face. She gave him a hard expression as she bent more dirt, putting more flames out, ready to send Aang flying towards the camp by force if necessary. Seeing that she did have everything under control, she felt Aang take off to the camp, swinging his staff around to part the flames away.

Letting out a few held-in coughs, Toph continued to bend more dirt around, slowly putting out the flames. She could handle this. Fire tried to tame her once before, but it would never get the upper hand on her again. She vowed to tame it now.

A sudden burst of flame near her feet caught her by surprise, causing her to yelp and send a large portion of dirt over in that direction. Hearing the small rocks tinker against metal through the blazing fire, she launched another boulder at the target. She felt the Firebender roll out of the way and kick the ground, sending a jet of fire towards her.

Thinking of her precious feet, she jumped to the left, avoiding the wave of fire, only to be assaulted by another flame.

As she regained her footing, a sharp molten hot pain stung through her right foot. Letting out a scream of pain, she felt a hot coal sticking to the bottom of her searing foot, her only sense of vision giving of vibes of excruciating pain. Cursing angrily, she brushed the hot ember off and slammed her other foot on the ground, sending a ripple of earth towards her attacker, sending him flying.

"Screw this!" she yelled she bent a large segment of the wall from the shrine and toppled it on the ground, snuffing out a large portion of the fire. The fire was raging out of control, and if she didn't do everything to put it out, it would destroy the whole Oasis. Fire would not tame her. Not the benders, not the smoke, and defiantly the damn embers.

She growled as she bent the earth around her immediate area, sweeping away any more nasty surprises that may await her. The pain on her foot was excruciating, like a thousand needles imbedding themselves in her foot, only to tear through her entire body. Although painful, she could still feel her surroundings fairly well.

As she bent and dodged more attacks from the relentless Firebenders, she suddenly felt them all tense up, halting their onslaught. This caused her to pause, only for a minute before taking another portion of the shrine's wall and launching it at them. Did they finally give up?

She slightly grinned to herself as she pictured their beaten up, sorry and sad looks on their face as they trembled before her. Her smile only widened as she felt them begin to run away.

"Run! He's here!"

"Get out now!"

Wait what? Toph thought she misheard them as she coughed, lungs rattling out the black, unfit smoke.

_Did they mistake me for a guy?_ she thought, slightly annoyed. Sure, she was tougher than any man in the Earth Kingdom, probably the world, but she didn't look like one!

As her mind wondered to another possibility, she heard low, huffing and puffing noise from behind her. Hair suddenly standing up on end, she swiftly turned around, gliding her toes across the ground to feel who was behind her.

She raised her eyes in confusion as she did not feel anyone there!

Wait, yes she did. There was a single leg, almost as light as Aang's, moving back, brushing against the ground as if in a broom-like motion. This wasn't right.

Either her ears were tricking her, or her feet were. As she strained her ears past the flaming roar, she could distinctly hear a large, powerful hoof brushing back and forth across the ground, yet she only felt light vibrations, almost like Aang's.

Toph's mind halted as a loud, angry bull cry rang out from in front of her. She heard three more hooves suddenly trample the ground, coming towards her!

Her adrenalin flared up, she jumped back, away from the shrine, dragging her toes along the ground to bend up a large wall to stop whatever it was. She could hardly feel this thing, but it sounded huge!

As she regained her footing, she heard a loud crash, and before she could react, she felt a rough, rigid and choppy object smash into her. It knocked the precious air out of her lungs and lifted her in the air with it.

Shocked at being taken by surprise by something she knew was in front of her, she grasped her hands on a pair of….curled horns?

Expelling another angry cry, one Toph could feel around her legs, she felt the thing draw back and then fling upward, sending her into the air like a rag doll. Toph let out a surprised scream as she was flung through the air.

What surprised her more than being tossed into the air, was what tossed her in the air.

She felt it's smooth, earthy material skin, yet felt powerful muscles vibrating through it, giving it strength. She felt its outlines, its body formation...and she knew that thing that had attacked her was a bull!

A giant, angry bull!

Toph landed on the ground in a thud, feeling immediately that she was tossed into the woods away from the shrine, still within earshot of the flames and the battle back at the camp.

Her mind raced as she sat up. A giant bull, much bigger than the ones she had felt before back home around the village. What she couldn't understand was why it felt so flippen small! It was like sparring against Twinkles!

She felt a suddenly ripple of Earth tearing the ground apart towards her. Earth! Moving unnaturally towards her?!

She quickly rolled over, avoiding the stray ripple of shifting earth. But as she rolled, the ultra-light steps of the bull where barley felt rushing towards her, though her ears helped confirm with her that it was coming, it's hooves sounding like the explosions.

To protect herself, she slammed her heel into the ground, sending a boulder into the air. At the same time, shesqueezed her abs, lifted herself up while thrusting her arms forward, and sent the boulder towards the bull. She heard the ground shake and felt an earthy pillar rise up, only to be toppled over by her pillar.

_This bull could Earthbend!_ Toph's mind screamed at her as jumped to her feet. This was not your normal bull.

Hearing a hoof stomp on the ground, the vibration didn't even register with her as she felt a rock shoot up and fly towards her. Thinking quickly, she bent a large, thick pillar up from under her, taking her to the air with it as well as absorbing the rocky attack. However, she did not feel the bull leap through the air until it crashed into her pillar, utterly destroying it and sending Toph falling to the ground.

Letting out a startled cry as she fell, she felt herself land on the bull's back. Grasping her hands on the surface, she could feel the chaotic, emotional vibrations running rampant through the bull and it felt angry. Rage was seeping through it like a volcano.

Jumping off, away from the bull, she heard it let out another angry cry as it felt Toph push off. As soon as her toes touched the ground, she felt a sharp pillar shoot up right underneath her. In that split second, she matched her momentum with that of the pillar, allowing her to ride it as it shot up and jump off it unharmed.

_A bull, that can Earthbender, and is extremely angry...what to do?_

Toph ran through all she learned in these few moments as she landed, recoiled and waited, reaching out to listen and feel for what the beast would do next, while trying to get her breathing under control. As the pieces feel into place, she let out a small groan as she realized she could very well be fighting Chikyu Yojinbo, the Earth guardian.

Bewilderment ran over Toph as the realization hit her. Why was he fighting her while the Fire Nation was burning down it's Oasis? She was putting out the fire! Why was it trying to kill it's savior!? For once, she opted to reason with her opponent.

"Chikyu, I'm not your enemy! I'm saving the Oasis you bull-headed idiot!" she exclaimed angrily while holding back a few coughs from the smoke. Taking in a deep breath, she suddenly felt extremely stuffy, her lungs begging for more oxygen than she could provide. Letting out another angry cry, she heard the bull moving around, but with the raging fire all around her, and her now ringing ears, she had trouble even hearing where he was.

Suddenly, she felt the bull right in front of her, screaming in rage. _When did he get this close? _

In panic, she rose a pillar up from the ground underneath where she felt it to be and bent a large column of in front of her. Almost immediately after the wall rose, she felt it shatter to pieces as Chikyu burst through it, his horns ramming into her right arm. The shot caught her by surprise, and the searing pain in her arm and shoulder brought her into a stage of rage.

"I'm with the Avatar!" she screamed back, keeping the insults, as well as her balance, at bay at bay as she felt herself being lifted again, but her patience was gone before she finished the sentence. Seeing that diplomacy was out of the question, she chose her own special form of diplomacy: fighting

Just because he was a spirit, did not mean he would get any special treatment from her. She was going to wipe the forest with him if needed to calm him down.

As she felt the raise its head again, she grabbed on to his horns, and rammed her feet into the ground, digging up the earth by the speed of the bull. Her throbbing, and racing mind suddenly lite up.

If it's made of earth, then maybe she could manipulate it.

Toph took in a deep breath, inhaling more smoke than fresh air, and sunk her body under the bull, pulling its head down with her. When she felt her back skidding across the ground, she kicked her feet up against the bull's gravel stomach. Letting out an adrenalin-inducing scream, she poured all her strength into her legs as she pounded them up. Simultaneously, she let go of the horns and brought her hands down to the ground, using them as leverage as she sent the screaming pull summersaulting overhead, landing on the ground with a thunderous crash. The momentum left Toph rolling on the ground, bruising her already aching body as she landed on the ground with a grunt.

As Toph swung herself around and got into her stance, she felt the earth underneath her suddenly shift. Eyes wide, she jumped back, unprepared.

The pillar shot up sharply, striking Toph in the chest. She dropped a few steps back, clutching her chest with her left hand, suddenly finding it hard and extremely painful to breath, already adding to the hardship she was putting her lungs through. As she struggled to regain her breath, she heard the bull screaming angrily, smashing its hoofs on the ground as it stood back up.

Her adrenalin keeping the pain and tears at bay, Toph straightened her body up; she let out a cough, her lungs desperate for fresh air. Instead of air, she tasted blood entering her mouth.

Straightening herself up, she dangerously eyed and grinned where she heard her opponent grunt angrily as it regained its footing. Swishing up some blood in her mouth, she cocked her head to the left and spat it out with a casual, almost amused look on her face.

"You know who you're fighting?" She paused as she coughed, holding back the shearing pain she felt every time she breathed in the black, smoky air. "The best Earthbender in the world!" she taunted her opponent as she dropped in her fighting stance, reading the ground and the air for his hooves and the feeling of shifting earth.

* * *

Sokka advanced on the pitiful archer, taking in the slight glances of worry and shock when he lunged, thrusted or deflected his frantic counter attacks with ease. Having his sword in his hand, this became a one-sided fight quickly. Ignoring the sweat stinging in his eyes, he deflected two more blows.

Expelling a cry of rage, he swiftly jabbed his sword at the archer's neck. He ducked and deflected his blow with both daggers, holding his sword together with both daggers in hopes of disarming him.

Sokka smiled dangerously as he found his opening; the man was matching his strength with Sokka's, hoping to prevent him from pushing the sword any further, or free it from his grasp.

Taking advantage of the terrain, he dug his right foot into the rich soil and sprang it up, kicking dirt in the archer's eyes, forcing them closed for a split second. Taking his chance, he twisted his sword to the left, angling it slightly and pulled back, tearing his sword and the archer's right handed-dagger from his hand.

As he stole the sword away, he felt the man recoil as he stopped his body from moving forward. However, he was leaning close enough for Sokka. Planting his right foot in the ground, he stepped forward and brought his knee careening into the archer's gut. The enemy expelled a grunt of pain as he doubled over, jumping back and desperately trying to regain his footing.

His attempts were futile. Sokka had him exactly where he wanted him. Advancing again, he jabbed his sword again, aiming his blow at the man's throat. A fire new, yet powerful and commanding tore through him, driving his rage to destroy his enemy, as his sister appeared once again into his mind, the arrow wedges into her hip like a ghastly scar.

The archer deflected the sword, using more strength with his deflection in hopes of throwing Sokka off balance. He unwillingly was leading himself to his own demise. He left himself more unbalanced than he did Sokka.

Raising his sword slightly for added momentum, he brought it back down at him with bullet speed. The nimble archer caught this and jumped to the left, only to have the sword embed itself in his left shoulder, tearing through the muscle. Letting out a cry of pain, Sokka did not wait as he immediately ripped the sword out of his shoulder, drawing blood that seeped into the archer's maroon tunic.

The pain caused the archer to release his grip on the dagger as he fell back, hand clutching the open wound as pain marked his face. The same pain he befell upon Sokka's sister.

Sokka thrusted his sword to the man's throat, stopping mere inches from it. The archer saw this and looked up at Sokka with bitter hatred, mixed with fear.

He had won; he had beaten this illusive attacker.

_No, you haven't._

He was still breathing.

He slightly drew back his sword, narrowing his eyes as he fixed right on the man's throat, envisioning his sword tearing through it, ending this monster's life and protecting the one's he loved. He suddenly felt a lump in his throat at the thought of those he had tried, and failed to protect.

Yue.

Suki.

Toph.

He quickly averted his eyes to the cold stare of the archer below him, waiting for the end, the final destruction. Sokka took a deep breath, and began to move his arm forward-

_Courage does not stem from facing your enemies, hoping to destroy them. It comes from when you're staring them in the face, seeing a man, a father, a son, a human. True courage Sokka, is knowing when not to take a life. _

His father's heartwarming, yet commanding voice weaved through his mind like a gentle breeze, always guiding. Sokka took in another deep breath, averted his eyes from the archer's throat, and rested his gaze on his face. His tan face, with a narrow noise, gold, sharp, piercing eyes that had a mixture of terror and anger flashing before them as he stood rigid.

_I'm sorry, Dad._

Gritting his teeth Sokka fully drew back his sword, and let out an angry cry as he brought it across, aiming the sharp edge to slice his throat.

The man closed his eyes, awaiting the end.

At the last minute, Sokka turned his sword sideways as well as raising it up, causing the blunt, flat edge to strike the side of the archer's head. His eyes rolled back behind his head as he slumped to the ground, unconscious.

He stood rigid, his eyes tracing the wound he created up to his sword, blood staining the edge of it. He closed his eyes and let out a shaky breath.

What had come over him? He had nearly killed this unarmed, defenseless man. Granted he was the enemy, but a man, a human, another priceless life. The words of his father began running anew as put his sword back into its sheath.

He wasn't going to kill. He knew though, in his world, and as chief, that would be a part of his wellbeing he would have to abandon. But not now.

His humble heart heaving, he turned back to face the camp, surprised to see the rebels fleeing it, and Aang rushing forth to the shrine, which was surrounded by only a few blazing fires. Looks like Toph and him did a good job. He smiled as he began to walk back, but as he looked over to the shrine, he couldn't see Toph.

Suddenly, a loud, angry, animalistic grunt echoed through the Oasis, followed by a loud rumble. A puff of Earth and dirt flew up in the trees, and to his horror he saw Toph flying through the air!

Before he could react, he saw a large, brown bull crashing through the trees, charging directly at Toph. He noticed as it ran, it had the Earth Kingdom Symbol edged into its sides.

"Oh no," he uttered as he unsheathed his sword and began sprinting towards the shrine as fast as his legs could carry him. He kept his eyes fixed on the bull, which he recognized as the Earth Guardian! And it was fighting Toph!

Sokka's heart accelerated at the thought of Toph potentially being in trouble.

_It's Toph, our invincible one, she will be fine!_ He quickly convinced himself as he ran into the clearing. Seeing her partially limp body flying through the air though made a chill run down his spine, like the cold fingers of death leaving him for someone anew...and he wouldn't let those fingers reach someone he loved again; he wouldn't fail at protecting someone he cared about ever again!

* * *

Toph skidded to a halt on the ground, sharp pain screaming from her chest, arm, and now her head. Her hair flung loosely down her shoulders, out of her bun as she jumped up to her feet, her body begging her to stop.

_I will not stop!_ the stubborn Earthbender yelled at her body as she got into her fighting stance. As she stood, she felt herself swaying more significantly than before, as if the whole mountainside was shifting. She slammed her feet into the ground, causing her already hazy, dizzy, and throbbing head to rattle more, increasing the ill effects all over her body.

Taking in a large quantity of air, she released a series of attacks on the bull, scoring hits at the charging spirit. Her pain, however, was nowhere near her anger and frustration. She was being outwitted by a giant angry spirit bull, because somehow, his body was lighter than Aang's, despite it being as big as Appa's body.

Ignoring the searing pain from her chest or head, she jumped forward towards the bull and clamped her wrists together. Pulling her heavy arm's back, she pushed them forward with all her might, sending a pillar shooting up at an angle right where she figured Chikyu's head was. She heard and felt the pillar make contact with something, and a loud, angry bull cry confirmed that she had hit her target.

It also warned her he was dangerously close.

Reacting as quickly as her beaten and oxygen-deprived body could, she jumped to the left and snatched her body to the right, causing a large column to fly up from the ground at Chikyu.

Frustrated, Toph heard Chikyu bend the column back in half, sailing through the air towards Toph. She heard him land and, in response, she twisted her ankles.

Before she could move her arms, she was met by a large boulder crashing into her body. Toph suddenly felt a new wave of pain, one she had never felt before, warp around her body, taking it to a whole new level. When she tried to scream however, all that came out was an air-deprived cry of pain, barely audible even to her sharp ears.

Sent flying against the boulder, she forced her arm to slam its fist into the boulder, disintegrating it from crushing her. That did not stop her body from crashing into the ground, her head and upper body taking the brunt of the power as her face finally succumbed to the pain her body felt. A combination of spit and blood trailed out of her mouth as she tumbled to the ground.

_No, I'm not ending like this!_ she thought as she held herself up, gritting her teeth. Her "vision" was getting fuzzy; she couldn't even feel her friends anymore.

_I won't…_ She coughed as she felt her arms begin to shake while holding up her weight as she pulled herself up. She managed to find her footing on her weaker and shaky legs as she faced the raging cries of Chikyu.

_Go out like this!_

As she heard Chikyu's angry cry and his hooves descending, she suddenly felt a wave of warmth rush over her. It was a rejuvenating feeling, one that was new, yet vaguely familiar, giving her strength, blocking out the pain, and finally sparked the vision she needed, as though lending her glasses. She could feel Chikyu rushing at her, his powerful body rushing forward, preparing to deliver another blow.

Using all her strength, she slammed her heels into the ground, sending two giant boulders into the air, on her left and right. Drawing herself back, she lunged forward, extending her arms and legs forward, releasing a loud cry of fury as she sent the two boulders surging at lightning speed towards Chikyu. The speed they traveled surprised the great spirit as they careened into it, sending the bull flying backwards.

This collisions of course would have surprised Toph, but she could not feel him anymore. As those boulders launched, she felt all her strength leave her with the rocks, her feel of vibrations fading back towards her, she managed to pick up Aang's vibrations rushing over to Chikyu, waving his hands in the air.

The warm, inviting feeling leaving her, she suddenly felt like she was on a cloud, her legs unable to stay straight as she felt them beginning to give. Her head began to throb as everything else began to swirl into the deepest, midnight black.

What felt like floating turned into falling, total darkness encasing her mind and body. As the last of her remained conscious, she managed to hear a frantic, scared voice screaming out her name, as his footsteps came closer, as her body met with the ground.

…_.Sokka…_

For Toph, her body succumbed to the finality before it ever hit the ground.

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed the chapter and story thus far. Let me know what you think of it. Any questions, comments or concerns, let me know. It helps and I really appreciate it :)**

**Stay tuned for Chapter 7! **

**Write on!**


	7. Chapter 7

** Thank you for reading my story thus far, and I hope you enjoy chapter 7!**

**Original Characters, plots, concepts etc were created by me.**

**But, I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender**

* * *

Chapter 7

The low trickle of running water coursing through a creek bed entered Toph's ears as she felt her senses coming back to her, awaking her from the best sleep she had in ages. A warm, comforting feeling engulfed her like a warm, snuggly blanket.

Not wanting to leave the comfort, she turned over on her right side, only to wince, gritting her teeth as a sharp pain ran up her right arm and to her shoulder, yanking her from the sleep she wanted to drown in forever.

Pushing off the ground, eyes still squinted shut from the pain, she felt for her friends vibrations as the memories of the fight came back to her. The bull's angry cry echoed in her mind like hollowed shockwaves.

Did she win? Was the forest safe? Where her friends alright?

Taking in a deep breath, she felt her chest shutter as a pain unlike anything she'd ever felt before rip into her, expelling sharp, painful coughs.

_Am I okay? s_he worried to herself, slowing her breathing down to combat the pain. This was difficult, for her lungs were begging for the fresh, earthy air that radiated all around her.

_Must be away from the fire, s_he thought as she slowly began to lay back down on her back. As her fingers thumped against the soft ground, she abruptly stopped her body. She couldn't feel her friends!

She rose her left arm up and firmly placed her palm against the ground, focusing on each grain of earth, feeling for the vibrations that every being on the planet created.

She couldn't feel anything!

Panic began racing through as she sat up, straining her ears in hopes of catching something.

Like a hunter, she caught no sound but a blinding ray of light that pierced her eyes once she opened them.

Gasping in surprise, Toph quickly shut them as the brightness overpowered, and greatly surprised her, a supernova igniting her irises.

"Aang! Sokka! Katara!" she called out to her friends, only to hear her own voice send an eerie echo throughout the area. This did nothing to calm her already sky rocketing nerves as her mind ran through all the possibilities of what she…..

_Saw? _

_Actually saw with vision...with her eyes?_

She slowly opened her left eye, the light seeping in through her squinted eye, shattering the darkness she had lived with all her life. The light was intense, and as her eyes began to water, she quickly lowered her head away from the blinding light.

What she saw before her made her open her other eye much wider in bewilderment.

A pair of legs, covered in a fabric that went down to the lower legs. A pair of bare feet hung out, attached to the legs. Actual body parts, she could see, could witness in action instead of simply imagining them. Sure, she knew the words for items and people, felt the vibrations, predicted the forms in her mind, but never knew real _appearances_.

As Toph felt her eyes move, she felt her heart rate begin to pick up with so many emotions she couldn't decipher. The first thought that cleared its way through the jumbled mess was disbelief.

"I've gotta be dreaming," she said to herself in a low voice as she wiggled her toes. As she bent them back and forth, she observed the action as it happened.

_So toes looked like tiny stumps attached to longer, narrower parts called feet._

She had pale skin, skin she had only imagined as smooth, as what she now could see in reality, not have to visualize in her mind.

_This can't be real_, she thought. But if she were dreaming, then why did her arm and chest still hurt?

This notion provoked Toph to check her foot that was burned. Sure enough, upon grabbing it and turning it over, she saw the culprit. The burn looked bad, scared and searing, the pain still radiating from her foot. A darker tint was etched within that foot, mixing with the color of her skin.

Blood, more than likely. She slightly shuttered as she carefully rested the leg back on the ground. Whatever the color blood was, it gave her an ominous feeling.

Her thoughts however, were torn from her burn as she looked up, the blinding light reduced to a small glare in her eyes. Her mouth dropped at what she saw, and as realization burst through her mind.

_If this is a dream, then why does it feel so real?_ she thought as s her face molded into one of amazement, wonder and excitement. Her eyes, for the first time in her life, lit up with new life.

She saw a forest, and the breath inside her was stolen from her Earthbender core. Trees were scattered all around her, bright, shiny leaves that gave her a warm, safe feeling upon looking at them hanging delicately on the branches like feathers. A few fallen leaves pixilated that soft grass that coated the ground.

She didn't have to pretend anymore, didn't have to form figures in her mind for what she _guessed_ things looked like, because now she could _see_ them for what they truly were! Even a simple tree was more glorious than she had thought, with grainy bark, wide trunks, deep...brown was it?...color, so much more than she could have created in her head.

To her right ran a small creek, the grass giving way to a small, rocky surface which held the water at bay, guiding it to its final destination to places unknown to all except the water itself. Across the creek, Toph's eyes found a circle of large boulders, neatly and evenly spaced around each other. There was also an engraving within the stones, but she couldn't tell what it was from here. In the center of the boulder circle, was a single tree.

A rock! All her life she could only feel the rock and its vibrations, but now she could absorb it with her sight! Her earth, her unwavering center, the rocks that built her, were more beautiful than she ever expected. Solid and jagged or smooth and crumbling, they ranged in sizes and shapes, all creating a masterpiece of artwork to her eyes.

While focusing on her newly acquired sight, she almost failed to notice the pain in her arm, chest and foot slowly dissipating, as if miraculously healed by Katara. Taking in a deeper breath, the stinging pain was no longer evident. A small tightening was felt instead, and even that was growing weaker. Confusion began to overtake her face, eyes narrowing as she began considering what exactly happened to her as she stood up.

_Where am I?_ she wondered as she continued to observe her surroundings, taking in everything her eyes laid on. Maybe she was deeper in the forest, farther from the Oasis. She inhaled a large amount of the sweet, earthy air as well as raising her left foot and stomping it on the ground, closing her eyes to try and envision the vibrations that had always guided her way.

All she was met with was the sound of her foot making contact with the ground, confirming her worst fear. Throwing her fear aside, she glided her right foot across the ground, feeling the earth in front of her and lifted her arms up.

The earth remained still under her feet, reinstating the panic and fear that began to run freely through her.

_I can't Earthbend!_

What happened during that fight? Taking in a deep breath, she ran her hand down her face. While the hand came closer, her eyes, for the first time made contact with her own hand. The same color as her feet, her fingers seemed long, graceful, the nails slightly paler than her actual hand. Flexing and retracting her fingers, she watched as the skin on her palm scrunched together and retracted, the lines running forth like wild rivers.

_So, this is what my hand looks like when I move it._Toph thought as she flattened out her palm.

Her first question still hung in the air, where the heck was she? Since she couldn't feel anything, she began relying on her other sense that gave her the cues as to where she was during the battle.

The acid smoke came back to her, mixed with the cool, mountainous air flood. Taking in a deeper breath again, she only smelled wood, grass, and the dirt all together. Where she was now, it was warmer, the cool hints no longer evident. Also, and most noticeable for Toph, was the absences of the birdcalls, and even more alarming was her loss of bending.

To top it all off for her, she could actually see, with her own eyes, which should have been impossible.

As the pieces came together, she felt her legs quiver and almost give under her as her breath caught in her throat.

"_Did I….. No!"_

She quickly shook her head, throwing the nasty thought out of her mind. That crazy bull did not take her down. He couldn't have.

Denying to convince herself otherwise, she opted to explore her surroundings. The thought of wandering around with her new eyesight was enough to make her smile, anticipation slowly thumping against her mind and heart at what she could potentially see next.

Looking around the entire area, the only thing that stuck out to her was the circle of stone rocks with the engravings on them. Her legs began to follow her eyes, as she slowly began to walk towards the boulders, the creek drawing nearer.

As she felt the grass give way to the stony pebbles and rocks, she felt her legs suddenly stop, her eyes transfixed on the water. Staring back at her, was what looked like another girl, wearing the same outfit she was wearing. Not knowing colors by any means, she took in the details of the person's face. Skin pure, the same tint as her hands and feet. The hair fell back loosely, conveniently just like Toph. The noise looked like, well a nose. She didn't see anything special. But this person, girl, somehow felt familiar.

Toph moved her hand towards the water, and the image of the girl did the exact same thing, a hand coming towards her, as if trying to be released from the water. Upon seeing this, Toph suddenly stopped, realizing what she was actually looking at.

She was looking at herself!

Granted, the moving water did not give the clearest picture she had hoped to see, but it was better than nothing. As she stared into the moving water, a sad smile overtook her excited one as her friends' voices came over her like a wave.

Aang's lighthearted laugh. Katara's soothing, yet firm voice. Sokka's lame, yet appreciated jokes**. **Even Zuko's annoyed, yet friendly voice.

The one time she could actually see their faces, really _look_ at them and remember them by more than sound, touch, and smell...they were gone, their voices the only memory she would ever be able to keep, ever be able to hold from them.

She closed her eyes and let out a soft sigh, the rough image of the girl in the water stuck in her mind. As she opened them, she noticed something odd in the water.

To the left of her image, was another, slightly darker image. The same color of the trees within this area. As she focused with her newly lightened eyes, the other figure slowly rose its…..

Hand?!

Letting out a startled yelp of surprise as she realized that the _reflective water_ showed her someone was behind her!

As she yelped, she unintentionally jumped back as she spun around. As she landed into the wet and slippery rocks within the shallow creek, she felt her heel slip, and almost immediately after, the cool water splashing around her, soaking up her pants as she fell in it.

Normally, Toph would have been able to feel this person as they approached, but today was a rare exception. Instinctively, Toph slammed her other foot on the rocks, kicking up more water and thrusting her fists forwards, only succeeding in splashing more water on herself, and the person who had startled her.

_Great! Give me my vision and take my bending when I need it! Thanks universe! s_he silently cursed as she wiped her wet face with her hand and looked up at the figure with narrow, fierce eyes. Just because she couldn't bend though, didn't mean she was completely defenseless.

"Crud! Do you mind you freaken stalker, or you want me to pound your skull in!" she snarled at the figure, but as her eyes identified the figure for her, she couldn't help but stare, her mouth slightly agape at what she saw.

Standing above her was a women, judging solely on a blind observation and experience from Toph's end. Her skin, which was exposed quite a bit, was the same color and from what it looked like material of that of the trees within this area. Vines, covered completely by leaves, were wrapped around her chest, and her waist, as well as sprouting out of her head and running down the back of her head, almost like hair.

Granted, Toph had no idea what people in general looked like, but what did strike Toph as odd was the women's eyes; they shined and slightly reflected the sunlight.

For once, Toph was at a loss at words, for this was the first….person she'd ever seen besides herself. A strange, nearly naked woman, out in the forest.

_This outta be great, _her mind mumbled to itself. Before Toph could figure out what to say, her eyes widened as she saw the women put a hand over her mouth and giggle uncontrollably at her!

_Is she, laughing at me!? _Toph thought as her face scrounged up as she stood up and pointed a threatening finger at the giggling's women's face.

"What do you think you're laughing at?" she giggling woman opened her shiny, reflective eyes a little bit more as she lowered her hand, regaining control over her giggle fit.

"I'm sorry." Her soft voice had its own echo to it, and even though she was fuming with anger and embarrassment, Toph couldn't help but notice how welcoming and peaceful it sounded to her sensitive ears. "I forgot, this is your first time begin able to see," she said with a smile on her face. Upon hearing this, Toph's eyes shot open with surprise.

"Wh-What do you mean by that?" she asked, surprise leaking through her tempered voice. The women only giggled again. Toph frowned, her eyes narrowing dangerously to this woman. She was stepping on Toph's thin patience, and had almost broken through the ice.

"In the spirit world, mortal imperfections are perfected. Thus, you can see. The deaf can hear, and so on." She paused, nodding her head and chuckling. "And mortal benders cannot bend, just as those who reside in the spirit world cannot bend within the mortal world,"the woman said through giggles. The moment Toph heard the her say spirit world, her face turned pale as beach sands; worry and surprise took full control of her body as she felt her hands becoming heavier, and her eyes widening to the limit with shock.

_The Spirit World!_

"So di—did I die?" she stuttered slightly, clenching her fists, hoping to prevent them from shaking, begging the woman that what she feared wasn't true.

The woman, still slightly giggling, walked past Toph and towards the rocks and trees, as if ignoring her question. She floated like leaves on the breeze, her vine-like structure and clothing blowing slightly.

"Hey!" Toph shouted as she stepped in line behind the women. She didn't care who she was at this moment; Toph needed answers fast. She couldn't be dead. No she couldn't!

Her friends, her family, everything she had fought so hard to keep...taken from her? She did not know how to feel, her emotions suddenly stopping the flow through her body, as well as her blood, making her body fall in line with her emotions.

As the somber realization began to hit her, she was met with a familiar, warm and comforting aura. One that lowered her anxiety, ignited her heartbeat, and calmed her numb mind.

"Don't worry child, everything will be okay." Toph snapped her head back to reality as she heard this comforting voice, her feet stopping in her tracks. A chill ran down her spine, making her shutter in surprise as she realized she had heard this voice and felt this feeling once before, three years ago.

Sensing Toph had stopped following her, the woman looked back, a twinkle of glee in her grass-green eyes.

"So you do remember!" she exclaimed, her mystic voice giving Toph a sense of peace and tranquility she hadn't felt sense she was in her cell in the Fire Nation. But just as the tranquility set in, so did the landslide of questions careening through her head.

As Toph continued to follow the ever-strange woman into the circle of boulders, the woman began circling the tree within the middle, running her finger's gracefully and motherly through the branches and leaves. It's strong, sturdy branches held several different shaped leaves, and Toph also observed they all had different colors, even though they were forging to her they still looked different. Some colors were inviting looking, soft, warming. While others were harder, rough, almost sharp even. The majority of her mind however, remained on the woman in front of her.

"It was you," she murmured as she eyed the vivid and stark colors on the tree. The woman let out a small sigh as she picked a withered leaf from a branch and brought it up to her mouth, resting it on the palm of her hand. Toph turned her attention to the woman as she softly blew the leaf, sending it flying softly into the air.

"Yes my dear. I was with you," she said, her voice almost trance-like as she watched the leaf fly away. Toph stopped following a few seconds, fed up with not getting any answers! She folded her arms roughly over her chest and let out a low growl of frustration. Apparently though, it was loud enough for the woman to hear, for she turned her head to Toph.

"I'm sorry. I know you have many questions, and I will do my best to answer them." Her eyes flitted to the leaf, her little sister, then turned back to Toph. "But where are my manners! I forget, mortals are accustom to exchanging names when they first meet someone new," the woman said as she stepped in front of Toph with a warm smile on her face. She put her left fist in her right palm and bowed respectfully.

"I am Shu Yan. Greater Spirit of the Earth," she proclaimed as she straightened up with a smile warm as a summer's day.

A spirit!

A greater Spirit?

Knowledge of the spirit world was not exactly one of Toph's strong points. Her parents did not put much faith into the supernatural, and as a result, she had little or no understanding of it. What little she did know was from Aang, but she'd never understood all the mumbo jumbo spiritual stuff he talked about.

She nodded her head, accepting the answer to one of her unasked questions.

"What am I doing in the Spirit world?" Toph quickly asked, cutting right to the point. "I'm not dead, am I?" Her voice got a little softer as she lowered her head, bracing for the answer she feared, but prayed not to hear.

"No, my child." Toph looked back up at Shu Yan to see her shaking her head, eyes closed, but that warm, comforting smile still radiating her peaceful aura around them. "I brought you here to the spirit world. You're not dead Toph, but my son did damage your mortal body," Shu Yan explained as Toph's eyes flared like grass set aflame.

"That bull was your son?!" Toph exclaimed, an eyebrow raised at the thought of this fragile, peaceful, comforting spirit could create such a foul, ill-tempered son like Chikyu. She couldn't see it, even if Shu Yan was a _greater spirit._

Shu Yan nodded her head, a hint of pride on her face. Toph frowned upon seeing this, as anger began bowling up in her. Her son had tried to kill her! Before Toph could retort how she felt of Shu Yan's son, the greater spirit suddenly narrowed her eyes at Toph.

"I understand your ill feelings towards my son. And on his behalf, I apologize for the pain he has caused you." Shu Yan paused, then softened her expression. "I brought you here so I could personally thank you for helping my son, and for maintaining the balance in the Earth Kingdom," she explained.

"You're welcome," she grumbled as she cracked her neck. "Still doesn't explain why he tried so hard to kill me when I was protecting _his_ shrine," she said as she folded her arms back across her chest, her stern face challenging Shu Yan.

"My son's pride, while it gives him great strength, is his own downfall," Shu Yan said, her voice unweaving. "He, much like the other spirits that reside in both worlds, are very prideful**,**" Shu Yan explained, making Toph slightly understand, even though her resentment for the guardian was unchanging.

Toph looked away from the spirit, her eyes resting on one of the rocks to her right. The engraving on it caught her eye, as the shiny gems within the symbol glistened in the light. They were the same color as Shu Yan's eyes. Toph narrowed her eyes, figuring out if that was right or not, for the colors still were forging to her reborn eyes.

"How does it feel?" Toph glanced back at Shu Yan. Her warm smile somehow managed to get even bigger as she stared into the Earthbender, her green eyes no longer clouded with the clear, milky darkness.

"To see?" Toph prompted, to which Shu Yan nodded in response. Toph looked back at the boulder, and then gradually to the trees that were behind it, her eyes staring off as far as they could.

At the moment, Toph found it both exciting and alien, almost unnatural to her. She had relied on her Earthbending and other senses as a way to see her whole life. But now she could actually see, could utilize her sixth sense. Yet, finding words for it was harder than she thought. Her mind just wasn't prepared with the prospect of seeing, at all. She assumed, and prepared to live her life without vision.

"To be honest, I'm not sure," she said, her eyes locking on the boulder, taking in the detail of the symbol, which by now she was guessing was the symbol for Shu Yan, or the element Earth, one of the two.

"I mean, it's great and all, but I've relied so much on my Earthbending to feel around, and well…" she paused as she looked back at Shu Yan, who only nodded, as if she understood. Toph half smiled to the greater spirit. "I just wish I could see my friends. You know, their faces, so I can have those real images for the rest of my life," Toph clarified in a sincere voice.

She couldn't believe herself when she had said this, for at first the thought of seeing scared her, but how quickly it grew on her. It almost felt as natural as seeing with her feet.

Almost.

And upon hearing she was in the spirit world, it made sense she would be able to see. Even if it was only for a while.

"How would you like to be able to see your friends?" Shu Yan suddenly asked. This question caught Toph off guard, but the thought and possibility of seeing her friends made her heart beat faster with excitement. Sight would be the biggest blessing if she could just only glance at them, remember the shape of their faces and forms forever.

"You can bring them here?" she asked in a lighter tone of voice, a sly smile edged on her face at the thought of being able to see Twinkletoes, Sugar Queen, and Sokka. The thought of seeing Sokka's face, for some reason, made Toph smile the largest and blush slightly.

"No," Shu Yan's answer shot Toph's excitement down, as her disappointment was clearly shown on her face as she let out a sigh.

"But I can bring you back to them."

Toph felt her breath suddenly catch, as her shocked stomach began to do mini-flips at what she just heard.

"What?" was all she could manage to say. She had clearly misheard Shu Yan. The spirit was clearly not deterred by Toph's shock, for she began to giggle into her hand again.

"Would you like to be able to see through your eyes? Your real eyes?" Shu Yan asked as she cleared her voice from the giggles. She couldn't help but smile at Toph's stunned face, the proposal's reaction clearly written on it.

Toph couldn't believe what she had heard. Sure, the whole idea of being able to see was a bit overwhelming, but the thought of being able to see the ones she loved, as well as not be blind while on a wooden ship or house, suddenly became very appealing to her.

_Can she really do that?_ Toph thought. The spirit world had limitless powers, from what she heard anyway.

"Your serious?" she asked as she began to rock on her heels in anticipation.

Shu Yan chuckled at Toph's response. "Yes Toph. Would you like to be able to see? This is why I brought you hear, to add more gifts to your repertoire."

Before she could respond, however, the realization came over Toph; she was just offered her vision back by a greater spirit. Something this significant to a person is never given away out of the goodness from someone's heart.

"What's the catch?" Toph suspiciously asked as she rocked back and forth harder.

Shu Yan's warm face mixed with confusion at Toph's question, but quickly recoiled into her warm, natural smile. "There is no catch. This is for your own benefit."

Toph did not buy that answer as a firm look crossed her face. "Don't give me that," she said as she pointed a finger at Shu Yan. "I can kick plenty of ass blind as a bat," she stated as she waved her pointed hand to the side. Shu Yan only nodded her head as she looked back at her tree and began to circle around it again.

Shu Yan's warm face suddenly morphed into a slight frown, making Toph raise her eyebrows, anticipating the truth...to tell if Shu Yan was lying or not.

"Sounds just like you to say that. But then tell me, Toph Bei Fong, how well could you _feel_ my son?" she asked, her warm voice giving way to a more firmly edged one.

"Not at all. Blind in the my world, remember?" Toph said in a dry tone. Shu Yan did not falter, as her face gave no indication of getting Toph's blind joke.

"When Spirits materialize into your world, they maintain most of their spiritual properties. However, when a spirit materializes in the mortal realm without an earthly body, their Chi is left unchecked, and radiates around them." Shu Yan paused as she began circling Toph. "This is why some are able to sense the presences of a spirit." Toph's eyes followed Shu Yan as she slowly walked around her, but she intently listened to the spirit's words.

"That's like when you came to me three years ago, right?" Toph stated as the memories of her captivity resurfaced; she remembered the calming aura that engulfed her in a sense of peace.

Shu Yan nodded her head. "Yes. The same thing was true about my son when you fought him. He had no host body, and as a result, his vibrations were muffled due to his Chi," she explained, still walking around Toph. Toph had stopped following Shu Yan with her eyes, and stared forward. She narrowed her eyes upon hearing about Chi, or whatever it was.

"I know that! I could feel it, or not feel it—whatever!" she barked as she snapped her head to the left, their eyes connecting. "What in the world does that have to do with anything? And what is Chi anyway?" she added in a demanding voice, her head starting to throb as her annoyance rose. More answers made more questions arise.

"Chi is everything. It is what make's life possible," Shu Yan explained as she stopped behind Toph. Toph glanced back to see that Shu Yan had her back turned to her, staring off into the forest behind them.

"Meaning?" Toph prompted as she turned around.

"All living things are made up of Chi. It is what makes you live, grow, and, in some cases, bend the elements. Some of you mortals refer to Chi as your own spirit, or Spirit Energy," Shu Yan said as she turned to face Toph. "When a mortal body succumbs to death, the physical body stays behind, while the spirit travels on, it's Chi level still present." Shu Yan smiled as she saw Toph slowly nod her head, slightly understanding all the mumbo jumbo she had just heard**. **"Without a physical body to harness and nurture Chi, one cannot _"live"_ as you mortals say. They also cannot bend the elements."

"Then how come Chikyu could Earthbend?" Toph challenged, not making the connection.

"He was born into an existence between both of the worlds, his Chi manifesting from the very Earth itself. Likewise, his powers were granted not just from me, but the other greater spirits, and as such his Chi levels had to balance out from him living in both worlds," Shu Yan clarified.

"Okay, I'll buy that. But how is any of that relevant?" Toph asked, extending her arms to her sides in frustration, her mind demanding straight and clear answers.

Unexpectedly, Shu Yan extended her right arm out, rigid in front of her, fist closed and facing towards the ground. Hesitantly, Toph extended her own hand out underneath Shu Yan's hand with her palm open to receive whatever Shu Yan had in her Earth Spirit firmly put her fist in Toph's hand and placed a small trinket in her hand. Toph slowly pulled her hand away and examined the small yet stunning object.

About the size of her hand, it was a stone, smoothed perfectly. At the center of the stone was a gem that was the same texture and color as Shu Yan's eyes and the ones engraved in the stone.

As Toph raised it closer to her face, she saw a symbol of some kind engraved in the gem. A line went vertically down, with a dot on the top of the line. Half way through it was a graceful slash, starting at the left and going to the right that slightly curved upward on the right side. At the bottom of the line was another clean slash, following the same pattern as the first slash, but was much longer horizontal than the first one. Toph also noticed a liquid of some kind moving within the engraving from her movement of putting it up to her face.

It was stunning, even to Toph. The smooth texture felt amazing against her fingertips as she slowly brushed them across the surface. The gem felt sleek, but equally as smooth as the stone. While she studied the object in her hand, Toph pondered why Shu Yan had given this to her. Could it have special spirit world powers? Toph held back a smirk from her crazy assumption, but the thought still lingered, as it seemed possible. To her at least.

"What is this?" She simply asked, opting for a more subtle approach.

"It is a medallion that can sense quantities of Chi, or as you mortal's call it, Spirit Energy," Shu Yan said with a slight chuckle, her warm and inviting voice replacing the firmer tone she had been speaking with before. "When you are in the presence of high concentrations of Chi, the Emerald in the middle will warm up, alerting you that a spirit is nearby," she described. Toph's eyes were glued to the medallion in her hand. "With it, you will be able to release spirits back to the spirit world for-"

"Whoa whoa hold on!" Toph suddenly exclaimed rashly as she looked up at Shu Yan. "Who said anything about releasing spirits?" she demanded as she crossed her arms, the medallion stone still in hand.

Shu Yan closed her eyes, the smile quickly fading into a firm frown. Toph felt her muscles tense up upon seeing this as Shu Yan let out a sigh that echoed throughout the forest. As the echo slowly dissipated like the trees breath itself, she wearily opened her eyes to the Earthbender.

"A time of great change is coming," she firmly stated, making Toph's blood turn to ice. Granted she felt like she had way more questions than answers, but the foreboding tone in Shu Yan's once soft and light voice sent a chill down her spine. She suddenly felt like she was starting to see truly why she was brought to the Spirit World, which made her heart rate only accelerate, and her mind ache with more questions.

"The Spirits' hold on the mortal world is fading, and forces bent on upsetting the fragile balance within both worlds have awakened," she said in a firmer voice. Toph glanced back at the medallion in her hand, the whole weight of Shu Yan's worlds suddenly falling on her, making the medallion all of a sudden heavier.

"This sounds like Avatar stuff to me. Shouldn't you be talking to Aang about this?" Toph questioned as she slowly clutched her fist over the medallion.

Why her? She was the world's greatest Earthbender, not the world's greatest Chi bender, or whatever Shu Yan wanted her for. She knew nothing about the Spirit World, or the spirits for that matter.

"Why don't you go and help the spirits if they need it?" Toph quickly asked in a raised voice, looking directly into Shu Yan's eyes before the spirit could answer her first question. Shu Yan narrowed her eyes at Toph, making her tense up at the fierce look on Shu Yan's face.

"My duties prevent me from intervening in the mortal world. I can only watch and observe. Nothing more." Shu Yan's firm smile slowly softened as Toph looked back at her medallion, rubbing her thumb along the polished surface of the emerald.

"I mean…." Toph paused as she glanced back up at Shu Yan, a puzzled look on her face. "Why me?"Her hands lightly smacked her sides as she asked Shu Yan.

"You are special, Toph." Shu Yan smiled at Toph, though the firm tone in her voice still remained beneath the other layers. "Ever since you were a little girl, your Chi has been exceptionally powerful, allowing you to tap into the very earth itself. To sense and perceive things that others cannot is unheard of, even among the Avatar." Toph's eyes widened as she realized that Shu Yan had just compared her power to the Avatar. Was she really that powerful? Her Earthbending was without question, but it was spiritually strong too?

"As you trained and honed your skill's in Earthbending, so too did your Chi, and your senses. However, you have only awakened half your potential, but the rest of your potential will be realized soon enough."Toph opened her mouth slightly, but then quickly closed it. She did not know how to take what Shu Yan had just said.

"What does that mean?" she simply asked, begging for a straight answer.

"It means that your powers are unique. You can sense things that others cannot." Shu Yan clarified as she walked closer to Toph and placed her right hand on Toph's left shoulder, her eyes closed and a softer smile on her face.

"Your Chi is strong, young Earthbender. Just as strong as the Avatar's." She opened her eyes and looked back down at Toph, who equally met her stare back, wonder and slight uncertainty on her face.

"You and the Avatar both have important, yet different, roles to play in the times ahead. And I know you will rise to the challenge. You always have," Shu Yan said as she placed her cool, smooth left hand on the right side of Toph's head. That wasn't good enough for Toph. She wanted, no, _needed_ to know more.

"What does that mean? What does any of this-"

She was cut off as Shu Yan placed her thumb on Toph's forehead. Immediately, Toph felt a soothing yet drowsy wave quickly overtake her as her vision began to get blurry.

"All will be made clear soon," her voice suddenly became very distant, but her echo still reached Toph's fading ears as darkness soon began to overcome Toph as her body became limp.

_I will see you soon, Toph Bei Fong._

* * *

Sokka jerked his head up, thinking he heard Toph rustle under the blankets that lay over her, keeping her warm and safe. He was sitting against the wall of the cave that they found overlooking the shrine from the opposite side of the Oasis after the battle. His legs were tucked up underneath him, arms wrapped around the knees as he rested his head on them.

He looked over the wounded Earthbender, his eyes confirming him that she was still unconscious. He grabbed the damp rag that was on her forehead and dunked it in the bucket of cool water to apply it back on her head. She was burning up when he had gotten to her, once she fell, and her fever persisted ever since that tragic moment that made his heart stagger.

Sokka closed his eyes, her lifeless body still clearly visible falling to the ground, kicking up a cloud of ash from her contact to the ground. The horror he felt was unlike anything he had ever felt in his life.

_Not Toph! Please not Toph!_

His frantic screams came back in his head as he slowly and comfortingly pressed the rag on Toph's forehead, carefully rubbing away any stray drops of water that ran down onto her face with his fingers.

Her warm skin was cool to the touch, not a good sign. Still though, she was in a much better condition he had found her in; she had broken ribs, blood trailing from her mouth, and a burned and bleeding foot when he first reached her. It was thanks to his sister that she was healed this much.

Sokka glanced back up towards his sister and Aang. He had managed to get the arrow out of his sister's thigh without too much trouble, and she was able to heal herself up pretty well. That did not however, stop Aang from making her stay off it, getting her water, and food, and making her smile and laugh with his goofiness.

He couldn't help but half smile as Katara laughed as Aang tried (rather poorly) to imitate a Striped Sea lion, her wounded leg stretched out and wrapped up, leaning against the wall opposite of Toph and him. Momo and Appa stared in from outside of the cave, showing confusion, and maybe slight embarrassment, for the Avatar's imitation skills.

"Now if we can just get you laughing," Sokka said in a low voice as he directed his attention back to Toph. She was going to be all right.

She had to be all right. He had so much to tell her, so much he needed to have the courage to finally say.

_Why hadn't I seen it before!_ He mentally bashed himself in the head as he put the rag on Toph's head and leaned back against the wall, his weary eyes not leaving Toph for a second. He didn't know when he had realized it. Maybe it was while he was running to her falling body, frantically screaming her name, or carrying her body up to the cave, but he recognized it when he felt it.

Affection.

Love.

He had felt it for the longest time too, as the though the feeling was surprisingly familiar. Sokka gritted his teeth in frustration. Why had he never recognized his feelings sooner and why hadn't he told Toph? Now, he may be too late...

No, she had to make it. Sokka blamed himself again. How could he possibly have let someone he cared so deeply for, someone he felt to his core, someone who made his heart dance, go off by herself?

What was he going to tell her? No HOW was he going to tell her? He had to. She deserved to know.

He had a sneaking suspicion she liked him too. At least at one point in their time together. Uncertainty still clawed at his nerves as he closed his eyes, trying to relax himself in order to clear his thoughts, deciphering the best course of action he should take.

_What if my instincts are wrong? _

It wouldn't be the first time, that's for sure. What if it made their friendship awkward beyond repair? Wouldn't be surprised with his luck if that happened. Letting out a groan, he slumped back against the wall, clasping his right hand over his forehead.

_When she wakes up, you'll just tell her._ He kept telling himself that over and over. No, IF she wakes up. He couldn't bare himself to think of losing her ever.

"Sokka, are you listening?" The warrior turned his head to see Aang bending some soup out of a small cooking pot that Katara conveniently brought along. He thought it was hypocritical of her for harping on him for bringing his fishing pole, but still insisted on bringing a cooking bot. Still, he couldn't complain now as his stomach begged for the soup, even if it was cooked by vegetarian-loving Aang.

"Want some?" he asked as he bent the stream of soup into three smaller streams and proceeded to bend them into three smaller bowls. "It'll taste just like it has meat in it, I promise," Aang tempted Sokka with an eyebrow raised, a goofy smirk on his face as he picked up two of the bowls, giving one to his girlfriend.

Sokka shrugged, unconvinced by Aang's tempting invitation, as he figured it was going to taste like roots and leaves all crushed together anyway as he got up and walked over to the Avatar.

As Sokka walked away, his distressed mind finding new light and comfort in food, he failed to notice Toph stir under the blankets, life coming back to the once broken, but not beaten, Earthbender.

* * *

**The word "Shu" in Shu Yan means "Kind, Gental."**

**The symbol on Toph's Medallion is the Chinese Symbol for Earth.**

**Very important and informative chapter. Hope you enjoyed this chapter, and the story thus far. If you have any questions, comments or concerns, please let me know =) I really appreciate it!**

**Stay tuned for Chapter 8! **

**Write on!**


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